No Way Around It
by zastrifel
Summary: Some dancing, a lot of tequila and Quinn wakes up next to a very naked Rachel Berry. The story takes place after Thanksgiving 2012. Multi-chapter story. Rated M for language and future sexual content.
1. Good Morning To you, Too!

**Ok, this my first attempt at writing my own fanfiction so be firm! :P **

**Faberry, of course. The story takes place a while after Thanksgiving 2012. Quinn wakes up in Rachel's bedroom. Mayhem ensues.**

**I do not own Glee or any of the characters. What I do own is my mistakes and my imagination which lead to this god-awful story. Kidding.**

**Enjoy and please let me know whether I should keep trying or not.**

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_**~Chapter One: Good Morning To You, Too~**_

She'd done it again. God, her head hurt so fucking much! Why she kept doing it, she didn't know. The sun, invading her sight like never before, was almost unbearable. She rubbed her eyes to rid of both the sting and sleep.

_Jesus! _There was so much alcohol. So many fragments of what she had lived the night before. Just that though…fragments. And none of them making any sense. Some dancing, some laughing. Lots of tequila shots. _At least for now_, she thought. Maybe after a nice shower and a cup of coffee her memory would clear up.

A sound of ruffling sheets disturbed her from the thoughts that welcomed this damn drunken morning. Somebody was sleeping right beside her.

Immediately, panic ran through her. She peeked underneath the sheet almost like out of instinct. No clothes. _Shit! _She had brought a stranger back to Rachel's apartment! _When did she do that?_ A guy that she had no recollection of, whatsoever. A guy she had slept Rachel's bed. In her brand new 1500 count thread Egyptian cotton sheets – _the brunette had gone on and on the day before about her exciting new purchase. _Quinn thought it was actually kind of cute.

Back to the matter at hand, she was _so _dead! She cursed herself inwardly for getting so drunk – _she had promised herself that she would never have drunken blackouts again after the last…mishap. _There was some more ruffling coming from her left and she was almost too afraid to look. She didn't want to face her stupid alcohol-driven decisions right now. Her head hurt too much!

Hesitantly, like in slow motion, she turned to her left to lay eyes on her lover. _For the love of God! When did I meet him, anyway? _She raised her back so that she was resting on her elbows and took a good look. The sun rays managed to light the room enough for her to have a clear view but the sheet was covering her _mystery lover's _entire body. She scoffed, rolling her eyes. She really does that a lot. For a moment, she considered slipping out of bed, disappearing from the face of the earth and thus never having to meet the guy or face the disapproving look on Rachel's face. And possibly her rants and lectures about inappropriate and irresponsible behaviour. And liver damage.

She was never a coward though. Taking a deep breath, she decided to take the matter into her hands and pull the sheet so that she could see who was lying beside her. Thinking again that she actually had no clue whatsoever who she had just had sex with the night before, upset her.

When had she become like this? Not that she had made a habit of it, but still; it made her feel like she was someone else, someone _slutish, _and she didn't like it. After the last time, she felt so awkward that it had made her sick to her stomach. Santana was worried that she might have had a bug or something, but when Quinn explained the reason why she felt that way, the Latina had burst into laughter! She literally had tears in her eyes. Clutching her belly, and after taking her time to quiet down the laughter, she'd said "Jesus, Q! If having sex makes you that sick, then you should consider becoming a nun!". Quinn had never resisted slapping Santana so much in her entire life. Of course, it wasn't the sex part that had made her sick! It was the randomness of the whole thing. And, of course…the other thing. She felt a blush warming her cheeks and shook her head as if to rid herself of her thoughts.

Decidedly, she raised her right hand and just like a cat, smoothly and silently, she caught the edge of the sheet covering her lover's head. _He'd better be handsome. _She didn't want to find out what Maria Bello in _Coyote Ugly_ really meant. Without having the chance to even finish her thought, strands of dark hair filled her eyes. _Huh. _Raising her eyebrow she wondered how the hell she had landed a long-haired guy. _Ew! _She really hoped he wasn't some kind of cowboy wannabe. She really hated that type of men.

A sound like water running from the kitchen interrupted her thought. _Kurt must be up._He was apparently making coffee as the familiar sound of the miraculously still working coffee maker was clear through the loft Kurt and Rachel rented.

She felt a movement from her left and felt her blood run and fill her head in panic when she realised that her mystery lover had switched sides and was probably awake. Quinn turned her head quickly to actually find herself wishing she hadn't. Brown, piercing eyes were staring at her. Suddenly, her throat felt really dry. She would look for a glass or bottle of water near her bedside but she wasn't able to form an actual thought at that moment. Or move. Or blink. _How? When? What the fuck? HOW? _Her questions must have been obvious by her facial expressions because Rachel was looking at her as panicked as she felt. She kept on clearing her throat and looking at Quinn in utter shock.

"Wha…what happened?" the brunette asked hesitantly, while raising the sheet with her hand in order to cover herself. She felt so exposed.

Quinn looked at her shocked. No. She couldn't have. _How?_

"Quinn?" The desperation in Rachel's voice wasn't lost on Quinn. Of course, she wanted the blonde to explain. Of course, she felt lost. But the truth was that Quinn felt as lost as she did. She didn't have any answers.

"I..." Quinn started but she felt her throat closing. She really needed some water. She coughed a little, giving herself the chance to find her voice and tried again. "I don't know" she replied looking down, suddenly feeling extremely shy. That's when she realised her left breast was showing. Panicked and releasing a small squeal she grasped her edge of the sheet and covered herself quickly. She looked up at Rachel, ready to face her laughter or maybe mock but all she saw was the brunette looking away awkwardly. _Had she been looking at her half-naked and not say a word about it? _A new wave of shyness filled her again.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Rachel said with a slight hint of anger. She wasn't really angry but she needed answers, damn it!

"I mean I have no idea, alright?" Yeah, Quinn was definitely angry now.

Rachel, letting out a huff, narrowed her eyes and in slow, really slow motion, she peeked under the sheet. In an utterly opposite manner, she rapidly emerged from underneath the sheets looking more flushed than ever. _Yeap! She was definitely naked._

"Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm naked"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Rachel replied angrily.

"Me too." Quinn said, looking and actually feeling like a five-year-old girl that had to admit to her mum that she was the one that broke her favourite china vase.

"Jesus Christ, how did this happen? Did it actually happen? Did we…?" Rachel stopped and looked at Quinn. The blonde surely was as shocked and confused as she was. Panic had taken over her. "Maybe we didn't have…you know. There's no way _WE_, Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray, would engage in sexual intercourse. In _CASUAL _sexual intercourse for that matter! Maybe, we just slept. Yeah! That's it, Quinn! We didn't have sex with each other. We just fell asleep together…" Rachel said with the feeling of triumph running through her "…in nudity." She added, feeling less enthusiastic. Was that possible? She raised her eyebrow thinking and confusing herself even more, if that was even possible.

"I...I don't think so, Rach." Quinn stated after a few moments.

"Why? I sometimes find myself wanting to sleep in nudity rather than in my pyjamas, especially in the summer months, Quinn." She was right about this. She was right! Was she right? She had to be right. Yeah.

"Because it _feels _like I had sex" Quinn answered quickly like she wanted to say that in a manner so that Rachel couldn't actually hear it "…and except for that, you have hickies all over your neck."

"_WHAT?!" _Rachel yelled.

Yeap. It was definitely going to be a very long morning.

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**This was a short chapter. Next ones are longer. Hope you liked it :D Don't forget to tell me what you think. Cheers.**


	2. The Morning The Earth Stood Still

Wow, guys. I'm overwhelmed! Thank you so much for your reviews, follows and favorites 3

So this is a rather fast update (not even 24 hours have passed) and I really hope you like it, as well. Again, all reviews are welcome.

I do not own Glee or its characters. But I do own a car. :P

Enjoy

A/N : Like I said the story takes place after Thanksgiving 2012 so the timeline is the same as the current one on the show.

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**~ Chapter Two – The Morning The Earth Stood Still~**

Rachel rushed to her vanity to check out her neck. What she saw drained the blood off her face. Three rather large purple bruises were decorating her neck. She turned to Quinn, stomping her foot, balling her hands up into fists and placing them indignantly at her sides.

"Hickies? You gave me _hickies?" _Rachel was absolutely fuming.

"I don't know! _Apparently!" _Quinn argued feeling slightly ashamed. _What was wrong with her? Hickies? She was never that kind of girl. She never needed to mark her territory. Whoever Quinn Fabray dated was automatically off limits for everyone else. Well, except for Santana as it seemed. And Rachel._

"Rachel? Are you ok?" Kurt's voice came from the kitchen.

_FUCK! _Rachel cursed inwardly. She obviously had forgotten that Kurt should be up this time of day. Quinn looked at her with a look of sheer panic.

"I'm perfectly fine, Kurt! I just…fell out of bed again!" shouted Rachel trying to hide the awkwardness and sound like she was actually OK.

_Is it a habit of hers to fall out of bed, _Quinn wondered. _Focus, Fabray._

"Are you sure? Did you hurt yourself? I'm coming in!" sounded Kurt's response.

The two girls – who were still very naked under Rachel's sheets – turned to look each other with bulging eyes.

"NO! DON'T COME IN!" the brunette paused for a brief moment. "I'M NAKED!"she rushed. Quinn nodded like she was trying to approve of the way she was handling Kurt.

"Oh, ok! Well, come on out, Ms. Berry. There's freshly-made coffee and breakfast is going to be served shortly." Kurt sing-songed.

"Ok! I'll be there in a little while, Kurt!" said the small diva loudly. She felt relieved. God, what would she do if Kurt came in her bedroom and found her with the blonde? She felt kind of bad that she had lied to him, but still. Well, half-lied. She WAS naked after all. _  
_

_Oh God! _She was still naked! She felt her cheeks blush.

"Quinn?" the brunette breathed.

"Hmm?" Quinn said absentmindedly.

"Would you mind turning around for a bit? I...I would like to get dressed." Rachel said shyly.

Quinn seemed to have woken up from her daydream and quickly muttered "Shit. Yeah, sorry." and turned around clutching the sheet so that it wouldn't leave her exposed. She needed to give the girl some privacy_. Of course_. Quinn inwardly laughed at the fact that apparently a few hours ago they were having sex and now they were suddenly shy to get dressed in front of each other.

The blonde felt her anxiety level rise again. She needed to get out of there. And fast! As realization was dawning upon her, she couldn't just fit into her brain the fact that she had just had sex with Rachel freaking Berry; who was now changing or actually putting on some clothes, because _of course _they had just had sex the night before so _of course _she would be naked! _Oh dear Lord. This is what panic attacks feel like? Breathe, Fabray. Breathe._

After her "not-so-mysterious-anymore lover" got dressed – she had found a pair of yoga pants and tight turtleneck in her drawer (_those hickies had to be concealed somehow_) - Quinn asked her to do the same. Rachel looked down and nodded before she turned around to give the blonde the chance to put on some clothes.

Nerves filled the smaller girl's body. _What the hell happened? HOW did it happen? Sweet Moses, I can't remember. I definitely recall going to that bar with Quinn. Yeah. And we had some wine. All right. And then some shots. Ok, maybe we shouldn't have had that many shots. And then…shit. _Rachel dropped her head in defeat. Everything was a blank after that. Of course, it was. Rachel Barbra Berry was never one to handle her alcohol. She could still remember fragments of her party during Alcohol Awareness Week back in Lima. She cringed at the memory.

Quinn cleared her throat. "Rach?"

The brunette turned around quickly. "Yes, Quinn?" God, it felt so awkward. What the hell was she going to do now? She eyed the taller girl noticing that she had put on the same clothes from last night – a pair of tight worn-out jeans, hugging the blonde's curves perfectly, and tight-fitting dark blue short-sleeved button-down shirt. _Of course she would dress with last night's outfit. Her luggage is in the living room. And she honestly looks astonishing in this ensemble. _

"Umm, what are we going to do?" asked the blonde sincerely. And feeling kind of weird having Rachel looking at her upside down.

Rachel shook her head in order to get rid of her ridiculous thoughts and sat down at the lower edge of the bed. "I have no idea." She answered and let out a sigh.

Quinn thought of sitting next to her on the bed but, given the current situation and confusion, she opted not to.

"Do you…umm…remember anything?" she asked the smaller girl in a low voice.

Rachel looked up in a quick fashion. "No! I mean, I remember going to the bar. I remember drinking…a lot" she rolled her eyes. Maybe Quinn was rubbing off on her. No pun intended. "But that's it." She went on. "I cannot for the life of me remember anything else after that."

Quinn looked disappointed.

"What about you?" the brunette asked with a hint of hope looking up at the blonde.

Quinn shook her head. "Same as you."

Uncomfortable silence filled the room and both girls felt like they needed to say something but neither of them spoke. Well, until Kurt did.

"Hey, Rachel? Have you seen Quinn?" he asked.

Both girls fell into panic-mode again. They looked at each other trying to think of an answer to give Kurt.

Bulging eyes, nostrils flaring, the brunette stood up abruptly and whispered harshly "_What should I say?!"_

"I don't know!"

__Quinn whispered in response. Arms flailing all around the place.

"She's not out here." Came the boy's voice again. He sounded like he was actually searching for the blonde. "Is she in there with you?"

"Wait a minute, Kurt! I'm on the phone" yelled the brunette to buy more time. _Smart save, _she thought. She looked at Quinn desperate for help. The taller girl had her arms folded over her chest and was shaking her head in a _lame move, Berry _manner.

"_Oh, give me a break, Quinn! What was I supposed to do?"_

"Oh, I'm sorry. Well, come on out when you're done 'cause everything is getting cold." Kurt was so sweet taking care of her like that.

"Ok!" shouted Rachel. "I'll be right there!"

"_Rachel, where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to do?!" _Quinn whispered harshly.

"All right, let me think for a second" Rachel said with conviction. She was going to do this. She would think of a solution and fast! She was born to thrive in stressful situations. A one-night stand with her friend was no exception. She felt her stomach flutter at that thought and looked terrified momentarily.

Quinn was staring at her waiting anxiously for a reply. "I'm waiting, Berry!" she said exasperatedly.

"_I got it!"_ the imaginary light bulb lit up over Rachel's head. Quinn motioned her to get the words out.

"Kurt has got to go to work soon." Rachel whispered. "You are going to hide in here while I am out there having breakfast with him and when he leaves we will both have the chance to…"

"Leave and not see each other ever again?" Quinn cut her off. _Had she said that out loud?_

Rachel averted her eyes to her feet, suddenly looking sad. Quinn mentally chastised herself. The days when her harsh words hurt the brunette were over and she felt proud of that and actually happy to have her friendship for a change. She didn't want to make her friend look or feel that way.

"I'm sorry. I meant, for both of us to get on our business. Respectively." She corrected. At least she hoped so.

"Ok." The smaller girl replied in a kind of relieved tone. _It worked, _the blonde thought. Mental high-five.

"So, do you agree with my plan, Quinn? I strongly believe it is the perfect option in our predicament." Rachel said feeling sure of herself.

"Yeah, sure." Quinn whispered. It was indeed the best option given the situation they were in. "Just go out there already before he barges in here."

The diva nodded. She took a couple of steps towards the door, took a deep breath, straightened her posture and her clothes and after taking a last look at her last night's lover – _I'm never going to get used to the idea that THAT actually happened – _she placed her hand on the door handle and opened the door with determination. "Good morning, Kurt." The door clicked shut with a deafening silence.

Quinn let her body slump at the edge of the bed. She was at a loss. This was not happening. It was the kind of situation when you feel like you're actually floating over your own body, experiencing life from a distance. Would the Earth open up and swallow her whole already?

She placed a hand on her forehead, supporting her head and let out a sigh which seemed to have been hiding inside for too long. How did it come to this? She wasn't even attracted to Rachel. Her stomach felt weird. _Maybe I'll get sick again. _She imagined Santana laughing her ass off from a corner in the room.

Outside Rachel's bedroom, in the kitchen, Kurt and Rachel were having small talk while having their breakfast. Quinn approached the bedroom door to listen to their conversation more easily.

"So, Ms. Rachel Berry. What happened to you last night?" Kurt asked curiously, having a seat at the kitchen table and grabbing his coffee mug almost lovingly. The boy did love his morning coffee.

Rachel choked on her own coffee. Kurt looked at her worriedly. He made a move to get up and go to her to pat her on her back. Rachel motioned him not to.

"I'm ok. I'm ok." She whispered with a labored breath trying to clear her throat. _Smooth _she thought.

Kurt sat back down staring at her with a mixture of worry and curiosity.

"Whatever do you mean, Kurt?" the brunette asked, failing horribly to act cool. She hoped it would be lost on Kurt.

It wasn't.

"Well, missy" Kurt started gingerly "You texted me at around 8 that you were going out for drinks with Quinn and that you were expecting me to come join you guys." Rachel was listening carefully. _How much did Kurt know?_

"But since I was working late, I wasn't off work until 11 which is when I called you but you never answered." Rachel felt her heart rate rise.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Kurt. I must have been dancing at that time or getting drinks or something, because I never heard my phone ring and as I recall, I never checked it either." The brunette said guiltily. _How drunk was she that she didn't neither hear nor check her phone? _The thing was literally attached to her.

"I called you 5 times and sent you 3 exponentially angrily written texts." Kurt cut her off as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh" Rachel said dropping her gaze trying to find a proper response to that.

"Mm hmm" was Kurt's sassy response.

"Well…" Rachel started carefully "we did have a lot of drinks." She said truthfully and half smiling.

"Really?" the boy seemed suddenly really interested in their conversation.

"Oh, trust me. We did." Rachel let out a laugh.

"And what happened to our beautiful, blonde friend? Where in the name of Lisa Minnelli is she?" he asked. He gasped. "Did she meet anyone at the bar?" he asked again intrigued.

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SHE DID!" Rachel shouted quite emphatically. She felt so relieved. She didn't have to come up with an excuse for Quinn. Kurt has given the perfect solution to her problem at hand himself.

"Easy there, tiger." Kurt told her eyeing her strangely. "What's wrong with you today anyway? You seem weird…and flushed" he said getting up and placing his mug in the sink.

"I'm just a little hung-over, I guess." The brunette replied feeling proud of herself for coming up with a great excuse. And a little called-out on the "flushed" part.

"So what happened to Quinn?" the small boy asked again.

"Oh! She had a few drinks with him and, after she thoughtfully asked me if I was ok with her leaving with him, she did. So I guess…she slept at his place." _Damn, I'm on fire today!_

"Wow! Score for Ms. Fabray! Was he cute?" he asked clapping his hands excitedly.

"Very, as I recall. And he seemed classy and talented, I might add." Yes, Rachel was imagining a male version of herself right now.

She felt Quinn's eye roll from inside her bedroom.

"Nicely done, Quinn!" Kurt said feeling strangely proud of his high school friend.

"Mm hmm" the brunette nodded happily. She was a good actress indeed. _Brava, Rachel. Brava._

"Anyway, before I forget, drink a lot of water and do not – _I repeat – _do NOT watch TV or get on your laptop. Monitors are not your friend right now."

Rachel wasn't following.

"For your hangover, Rachel. Wake up!"

"Oh!" Rachel nodded emphatically. "Thank you, Kurt. How do you know all this anyway?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, dear" Kurt started with a knowing laughter "there's still so much you don't know about me."

Rachel smiled at him raising an eyebrow.

"As much as I relish your company, albeit immensely peculiar, I have to go to work. Don't you have classes you need to get to?"

"Not until the afternoon actually." Rachel answered.

"Ok then! See you later, dear. Have a great day" he sing-songed. Kurt was always a morning person. Rachel was too, but today was kind of an exception.

"Oh! And don't forget to give Quinn my regards and congratulations on her score when you see her!" he added.

Rachel almost choked for the second time at that.

"Ok bye!" she shouted before she heard the door of their loft close behind her roommate.

A wave of relief washed over her. _Thank God, that's over._

Her bedroom door opened slightly.

"Is the coast clear?" Quinn's voice was heard.

"Yes, come on out, Quinn."

After all that was said with Kurt and what she went through trying to confront her best friend and roommate about what happened the previous night, Rachel expected Quinn to be glad she did a marvelous job covering for both of them to Kurt.

She was wrong. Quinn looked defeated.

_Of course, _Rachel thought. _The fact that she got Kurt off their scent couldn't take back the night that they had. And all its bizarreness. _

Both girls exchanged shy looks. Quinn averted her eyes to her feet and Rachel to her coffee mug. _Where are my manners?_

"Would you like some coffee, Quinn?" the brunette offered.

Quinn was weighing her options. Stay for some coffee (her body and especially her head were screaming "_Yes!") _? Or get the hell out? If she were to stay, they would have to have _the talk. _If she were to leave, she would leave a very unhappy Rachel behind, as well. Never mind the fact that no matter how awkward things felt, she thought that having the talk and agreeing to never mention it like NEVER again would definitely clear the air between them. Each of them would go on with their respective lives. Surely, at first they would probably avoid each other, but in a little while they would resume their relationship as it was. Well, before their _encounter._

Opting to be an adult about it and not losing a friend due to a fucking drunken mistake, she let out a heavy sigh and proceeded to the kitchen cupboard to get herself a mug.

"Here, I'll get it." Rachel offered happily while getting up from her seat at the kitchen table. The blonde had already opened the cupboard and was reaching for a mug. "I got it, Rach." Quinn said tiredly.

But the small diva was already reaching up to help her lo…friend.

And then their hands brushed. And then…electricity. Both of them pulled their hands abruptly and brought them close to their chest as if they had touched scorching flames. _What the hell was that?_

Quinn was staring at her hand, which still tingled from the brunette's touch, feeling utterly uneasy. She turned to look at Rachel and noticed that the girl was completely phazed. Continuing to eyeing she reached blindly for the damn mug in order to finally have some coffee. The morning was hell already, no argue with that. But having not had her caffeine intake was making it so much worse. She grabbed the coffee pot and helped herself to some deliciously smelling brew. After having the first sip – _damn that was good – _she turned her gaze to Rachel again. She hadn't moved a muscle. _Wow._

The brunette was having a completely different experience. After her hand brushed with Quinn's, she felt her stomach twist. A mixture of warmth and excitement overwhelmed her. Unruly flashes of images filled her mind. Hands touching. Laughter. Then flirty smiles. Soft touches on Quinn's arms and Rachel's cheek. Quinn's full lips. Quinn biting her lower lip inches away from Rachel's own lips. Rachel's back on the wall outside the loft with the blonde's hands pinning her there with force.

_Oh my God._

Rachel brought her hand to her mouth and gasped. Quinn, who was watching her the whole time feeling more and more worried about the girl, moved closer to check if she was ok. The brunette jumped at Quinn's touch again and ran panicked to her bedroom.

"Rachel, are you ok?" the blonde shouted through the shut door. _What the hell was that?_

After a couple more tries and no response from Rachel, she decided to open the door and see for herself if the smaller girl was alright.

A moment before she reached the handle, the door opened and Rachel emerged. Quinn jumped back in surprise.

"Rachel? Are you alright? What are you doing?" the taller girl asked curiously as she watched Rachel putting her keys in her bag and searching for her coat.

"I have to go, Quinn." She wasn't even looking at her. She was looking for her coat in a hurry, pulling chairs, opening closets, even looking under the sofa.

"Rach, I really think we should talk about this." Quinn reasoned calmly.

"And I really have to go, Quinn." Rachel replied with a hint of sarcasm and absolutely no eye contact with the blonde.

"Rachel?"

Nothing.

Quinn took a few hurried steps near the brunette only to grab her arms like she was trying to get some sense in the girl. "Would you stop for a second?!"

Both girls were staring at each other breathing heavily. Rachel lost herself into Quinn's hazel eyes, ignoring the tingles that she felt from her touch and the now constant fragmented images that she had her hung-over brain to thank for. While Quinn felt her head swim and forgot what she wanted to say for a moment there.

"I…really….think we should talk, Rachel." She said in a now very low and calm voice.

"There's nothing to talk about, Quinn." Rachel's voice was a little louder than a whisper. "I believe we both agree it was just a mistake. We will just move on with our lives like nothing ever happened. At all." She added feeling more bold and releasing herself from the taller girl's hands.

"But it DID happen, damn it!" Quinn was furious.

"Quinn, I really have to go." The brunette was now putting her finally found coat. It was on the floor next to the front door after all. _Huh._

"Where do you even have to go to? You said it yourself that you didn't have any classes until the afternoon!" the blonde's voice was coated with anger.

Rachel pondered for a second. She needed to find an excuse and fast!

"I need to see Brody, ok?!"

Her ability to lie so fast was starting to worry her. She looked at Quinn waiting for a response of some kind. All of a sudden, it didn't seem fair to her friend to just leave her there, no matter how much she was _dying _to get out of there and do anything to forget about last night and the burning images in her head.

Quinn just stood there. Watching her with glaring eyes and breathing through her nose. _What the hell is this? 30 minutes ago I was considering climbing down the fire escape in order to avoid this very conversation, and now I am the one who's bitching about it? What's wrong with me?_

__"You know what? You're absolutely right!" the blonde stated tilting her head and placating the best fake smile in the world.

And then she walked to the corner of the living room area where her luggage was.

"What do you mean?" Rachel wondered knitting her eyebrows.

"I mean_…(Quinn stooped to get her travelling satchel and placed the straps on her right shoulder to carry it)…_you are right, Rachel. What is it difficult for you to understand?" this was – as Finn would put it – scary Quinn talking.

"But…" the brunette started.

"But nothing! You go on to that fucking Brody guy, while I myself go my own fucking way! I don't even know why I suggested we talk about it! I didn't want to! I thought it was something that YOU wanted, but clearly it's not. So the hell…with this!" and Quinn was out the door, slamming it shut at the process.

Rachel stood still in sheer shock and her mouth agape. _Quinn had the sense to act like an actual adult where she was the one that tried to run away without even an explanation._

_Brava, Rachel, Brava._


	3. Ignorance Is Bliss

**Thank you guys again for all your support. I'm really grateful!  
**

**So this is a considerably longer chapter. I was going to break it in two but opted not to. I think you'll figure out why. ;)**

**Do Not Read At Work. **

**Song I was listening to while I was writing a "certain" scene: The Kills - Future Starts Slow (check it out)**

_**Again **_**I do NOT own Glee or any of the characters. What I do own is an affection for blondes.**

**Enjoy and pretty pretty please review. I need to know if this is any good at all.**

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_**~ Chapter 3 – Ignorance Is Bliss ~**_

Quinn walked out of the building and the world seemed like it was mirroring her previous panic state. People hurrying to go to work with their coffees to go in hand, talking on the phone, drivers blowing the horn and the almost violent, cold New York breeze hitting her face.

Quinn had run down the stairs, not even bothering to get the elevator. She felt like she was suffocating and needed to get out of there ASAP. Standing outside Rachel's building, in the middle of the sidewalk, she took in her busy surroundings. She let the cold get under her skin until she was shaking. It was December 3rd and the temperature was quite low. And it was definitely waking her up from her daze.

She rearranged the straps of her purse and travelling bag on her shoulders, took a deep breath and started walking. She had no idea where she was walking to, but that's what she needed. With a quick pace she turned around corners, crossed streets and waited for pedestrian lights to turn green; she even almost got run over by a cab. Finally noticing the slight burn in her feet and becoming aware of her tired state, she looked for the nearest train station. She couldn't wait to get back to her room in New Haven; away from New York; away from Rachel. On her way to Grand Central Station, the blonde's thoughts were a freaking labyrinth consisting of Rachel's looks, words, her own frustration, bewilderment and desperation.

The little diva has got on her nerves. Having an internal rant she came up with a list of the reasons why Rachel could be the most infuriating person in the world. _She's loud! She's clingy! Even to her friends! She's short – _Quinn rolled her eyes at her own lame excuse of a reason to be angry at Rachel – _she gets anal about every time something that is not approved by her happens ( _not exactly news, but still ), _she keeps all this weird food in her fridge! So fucking pretentious! "Look at me, I'm Rachel! I'm vegan! I care about aaaaall the animals in the world, even though I would gladly step on my friends' bodies to get a solo or lose my virginity to my stupid boyfriend in order to give a brilliant performance! Boooo!" _  
Quinn was subconsciously making a face at that, mimicking Rachel's expression (rather horribly). She realized that when she saw a little boy, holding his mother's hand, giving her a blank stare. She immediately straightened her face at that, clearing her throat and continued to look forward.

She was now on a platform, waiting on the Metronorth train home. Her thoughts were so intense that she didn't have a clue how she got there. _Fucking Hell! _The diva has got really under her skin. _Fucking Rachel!_

She sighed. She wasn't clueless. She knew that Rachel wasn't really to blame for all this. Nobody actually was. Or maybe both of them a little. The facts were simple. They had both got drunk and then they lost control. Simple as that. _God damn it, _she muttered under her breath looking up desperately. It wasn't THAT simple. She was trying to make it simple. She had sex with Rachel. Her old nemesis and current friend Rachel. Looking at the clock on the platform she cursed. Her train was running late. _She's probably at her dance class right now, _the blonde thought. _Phss! Dismissing me like that! _Quinn was reliving their fight just before she left. _She couldn't stay for a minute to talk about the fuckery that we were in! Noo! She had to go to her "boyfriend"! Fuck you, Berry! _

Quinn fumbled in her jacket pocket to get her phone. She dialed the phone number and waited impatiently. "Hey! How are you? Call me when you get this. Bye!" she said and hang up.

_Finally! _Her train had just arrived. She got in, found a spot near the window and took a seat after she had put away her travelling satchel. She took a breath, got her copy of Virginia Woolf's _The Waves _out of her purse and opened the book on page 117. Virginia's overwhelming writing skills would surely distract her from the fucked up state of mind she was currently in.

Two hours later, when the train reached its destination, Quinn was on page 118.

Back in New York, Rachel was warming up. She sat down on the floor of the dance class and started stretching. She needed to be ready before Cassandra July arrived; that woman had it out for her and although she could stand up to her with ease, it didn't necessarily mean that it didn't affect her. She had left most of her classes feeling angry, ridiculed, ugly and worthless. So she tried everything in her power not to give that bitch the satisfaction of getting on her case every damn time.

Standing up to change her position, she glanced at the mirror of the studio and checked herself out. She was wearing tights with black shorts and the same turtleneck she had put on to cover the hickies this morning. A shiver ran through her body at the memory of that.

Quinn had left this morning after their argument leaving a very sorry brunette behind. Rachel felt truly bad that she had dismissed the blonde in such way, but what else could she do? She panicked! She knew it was the mature thing to do, but to suddenly get all these images in her head was too much. And the most exasperating thing was that she _still _couldn't remember the whole night. Just some scattered flashes of her and Quinn here and there. Smiling, drinking, slow dancing, touching…kissing. _Oh god! _She rolled her eyes, feeling her whole body tingling and a sudden warmth in her belly…and slightly lower.

She was blushing furiously.

"Hey you!" a familiar voice startled her. Rachel turned around quickly flipping her hair. Her voice was caught in her throat.

"Hey!" she said loudly feeling surprised. And not in the good way. It was not that she didn't like to see the guy; Rachel liked him a lot! He was handsome, sexy…a great dancer! It was just that they had this _expectation_ of being together at some point in the future and this unwritten _rule _of not hooking up with others until then. Yes, Brody had slept with Cassandra when Rachel and Kurt went back to Ohio to see the musical, their friends and family, but when she made it clear to him that it bothered her, he agreed not to do it again. Hence the _rule. _Hence Rachel's embarrassment she was now filled with because the previous night she had sex with someone else. Sex that, judging by the slight memory of it and her sudden wetness of her panties, was a lot to her liking. She had sex with a girl. Who's her friend. With Quinn. Quinn who used to hate her and bully her. Quinn who was now her friend. Quinn who was straight for God's sake! Quinn who was the hottest girl at school! _Fuck me…_

Rachel blushed even more profusely at that.

"Are you ok there?" Brody let his arm drape her shoulders and smiled sincerely at her. "You're out of breath!"

"Oh, it's…" Rachel started.

"I'm here, you idiots! Please, let's get on with the class because you're boring me already. That goes for you, Schwimmer!" Cassandra's voice was clear throughout the studio.

Rachel pursed her lips feeling angry already and Brody looked at her and shook his head.

"Don't mind her. She's probably drunk again."

Rachel smiled at that and thanked him silently.

"Come on, sexy! I wanna see how out of breath you're going to be afterwards." He said winking at her.

Rachel let out a lame excuse of a fake laughter and let him drag her to the center of the floor. The ever present since this morning images of her and Quinn filled her mind once again and felt a shiver run down her spine, then through her stomach (which felt like butterflies were having an orgy in), ending in her center.

She wondered how she was going to survive this class.

Meanwhile, in the halls of her dorm in New Haven, Quinn was cursing under her breath fumbling in her pockets to find her ringing phone while holding her bags and keys. After a few rings, she managed to pull it out of her jeans pocket and answer it.

"Hello?" she said sounding irritated. She was trying to put the key in the lock so she was holding her phone with her right shoulder, steadying it against her ear.

"Hey, Q! What's crawled up your ass?" sounded the voice she knew so well.

"Hello, Santana." She breathed, closing her dorm room's door with her foot and placing down her bags. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are _you_? I got a little worried when I got your message."

Santana and Quinn didn't have –what someone would say- a _typical _kind offriendship. Of course they were friends – good ones at that – but that didn't mean they wouldn't argue with each other. Or exchange insults…or slap each other. But that was the way their friendship worked. They would get angry with each other, they would try to steal each other's boyfriends and get on each other's nerves but at the end of the day, they would make up and be there for one another.

The last time Quinn was in distress a couple of months ago, Santana was there for her 100%. The blonde had called her, crying, and told her she needed someone to talk to.

Santana was knocking on her door the next day.

At first the Latina was at a loss. Quinn looked like a mess. When the blonde told her the reason was her having had a one-night stand, the Latina had laughed with all her heart. But when Quinn added that it was a _girl _she had it with, Santana went silent. A thousand thoughts were filling her mind and she didn't know how to react. But all she had to do in the end, was remember her first time with a girl and how scared she was afterwards. So, she took a seat next to her friend, gave her a reassuring smile and told her that everything was ok. It had been just one time. It didn't necessarily mean anything.

She had to take small steps around the subject in order not to cause her friend any more stress. She had asked if the sex was good; Quinn couldn't remember. She had asked for the girl's name; Quinn couldn't remember. She had asked if the girl was hot; Quinn blushed and looked down. The blonde went on to promise herself not to ever drink so much.

Santana was definitely surprised by Quinn's confession. She didn't let it show, of course. She wondered if Quinn could be gay, but dismissed the thought at once. It was just ludicrous. Quinn Fabray, president of the Celibacy Club, good ol' Christian girl and _gay_? _No, no, no…no way. _It was just experimenting. She knew all about it now in college. There had been a few girls who had flirted with her there and asked Santana flat out right to be their experiment. She had rejected all of them, but still, it was a fact. And that was what Quinn had done. "_Everybody experiments in college. It's no big deal. For real, Q." _the Latina told her reassuringly. And Quinn could finally breathe.

But now Santana had heard Quinn's voice and her tone seemed like it was hiding the same amount of distress. Maybe even more, she guessed. So, after she had checked her voicemail, calling the blonde back was her first priority.

"Quinn, are you ok? Are you hurt?" Santana asked worryingly.

Quinn sighed. "No, San. I'm ok."

Santana let a sigh of relief out."Well, you as sure as hell don't sound ok." she let a moment pass and gasped. "Tell me you're not preggers again. Tell me you're not having that stupid professor's bastard!"

"God, no! No!" Quinn answered hastily.

"Good! 'Cause I would have to go all Lima Heights on that sex-deprived asshole!"

"Hey…watch it." Quinn warned lazily.

"Oh, I'm _sorry…_I didn't mean to call your 35-year-old creep and married professor/boyfriend _that. _My bad, Quinn." Santana faked.

The blonde laughed at that despite herself. Her friend's insults sometimes had a way to amuse her even when she was at her worst.

"He's not a creep. Nor an asshole. He's just…gaaahh! I don't want to talk about him right now!" Quinn slapped her forehead and sat at the edge of her bed.

After a moment's pause the Latina asked sincerely.

"What's wrong, Quinn?"

Silence. Then a deep sigh from the blonde's end.

"Q? What happened?" Santana tried again.

Another moment of silence – which seemed deafening to both girls – and Quinn replied feebly.

"I fucked up."

"How?" sounded the Latina's question.

"I fucked up really bad." was the blonde's mantric response.

"Quinn!" Santana said to get her friend's attention. "Talk to me." She added in a low voice.

Quinn lied down on her bed staring at the ceiling. "I did it again."

A moment's pause.

"Umm…I'm trying really hard here to not make a reference to the Britney song, 'cause I know you feel like shit right now, so please, tell me what it is that you did again, before I burst into song." Santana quipped.

"I had sex with a girl." Quinn said weakly.

The blonde could hear her friend's mouth fall open from her end of the line.

Santana was trying to let what her friend had just told her to sink in.

"Ooook…" she started hesitantly. "How do you feel about it?"

"Like shit!" Quinn retorted.

"When did it happen?" Santana asked.

"Last night."

"Weren't you supposed to be in New York yesterday? Visiting Rachel and Kurt?" the Latina was confused now.

"I was."

"Where did you do it? Her place or Rachel and Kurt's?" it started to sound a lot like _20 Questions._

"Rachel and Kurt's."

After a moment, Santana's loud gasp was clear over the phone. Quinn had her eyes wide shut, expecting her friend to freak about the identity of her last night's lover.

"_Please, _tell me you did it in Rachel's bed! Please!" Santana begged excitedly.

Quinn, on the other hand, was confused. She opened her left eye, as if it would help her understand.

"…umm…yeah?" She answered unsure of her friend's line of questioning.

"_YES! _The Hobbit must have _freaked! _Wow! Way to go, Quinn!" Santana was chuckling extremely amused.

"S, what do you mean?" the blonde's confusion was off the charts.

"_Come on_, Quinn! You fuck somebody on Rachel Berry's bed? And that somebody is a _girl?! _I mean, _come…on! _This is anal Berry material right there! Tell me! Did she kick the girl out? Did she burn the sheets?" if Quinn could picture Santana right now, she would be sitting wide-eyed, smile reaching her ears and clapping her hands excitedly.

Silence again.

"Q?"

Some more.

Santana tried to understand what the ex-captain of the Cheerios was silent for. She tried to repeat their conversation in her head and put the information she had got from the blonde together. Clearly she was missing something.

And then it all clicked.

"_YOU HAD SEX WITH BERRY?!" _Santana shouted over the phone.

Quinn didn't know what to say to that. She was feeling quite shocked again. It was one thing to live it and go bat shit crazy in your head trying to realize what you did and another thing to actually hear the words from someone else.

"_QUINN!" _Santana's patience was running low.

"…I did" the blonde answered cautiously.

"Oh dios mio!" Quinn couldn't understand any of the Spanish words the Latina was using. _Something about a taco? _"Q, tell me this is a fucking prank."

"I wish it was." Quinn sighed. She was feeling kind of weird now that her friend knew about it. And kind of relieved.

"Ok, just give me a minute to let it sink in a bit." Santana asked.

"Sure! Take all the time you need." She knew the feeling.

A few seconds had passed when the Latina's voice was heard again through Quinn's phone.

"Ok, let's just take it from the top! After Thanksgiving, Rachel invites you again to go to New York. You accept. You take the train there on Saturday. So far so good?" Santana asked. She was trying so hard to make sense of the bomb that her friend had dropped.

"So far so good." Quinn replied waiting for her brunette friend to continue.

"I don't know the rest, Quinn! You need to enlighten me. What did you do after you arrived?"

Quinn cleared her throat. "Well, nothing much. I met with Rachel and Kurt. They showed me around their loft…"

"Berry gave you the special tour, huh?" Santana quipped smirking.

"Screw you, Santana!"

"I'm sorry! I couldn't help it. Go on" the girl said trying to hide her chuckles.

Quinn let out a heavy sigh and continued.

"Ok, after _that, _we all went out to a nice coffee place and did some catching up. We had dinner, drinks, went back to the loft, slept on the couch, _alone (!), _and Sunday morning we all went to Central Park for a walk. Kurt had to leave though at some time, because he had some kind of emergency at work. So, Rachel thought it would be a good idea to show me around New York. We walked, talked, had lunch, did some window shopping, more talking – you know how she is, then dinner and then we went to a bar for drinks."

Quinn already knew what Santana would say.

"…aaand?" she asked expectantly.

"And nothing." Quinn replied.

"What do you mean "nothing"?" her patience was growing thin.

"I mean I can't remember anything after we had a few drinks."

"Oh no. Not again!" Santana sounded disappointed. "Are you kidding me, Q! You blacked out? Again?"

"Yeap!" the blonde nodded.

"At least you know her name this time!" the Latina was laughing at her own joke. Noticing that the line had grown silent, she tried to kill her laughter and added "Too soon?"

"Too soon." Quinn said coolly.

"Seriously, though, Q. You got to do something about this blacking out thing." The brunette said. "I mean, sex with girls is an amazing experience; you should be able to remember it!"

"Santana…" Quinn warned again.

"Ok, ok. I'll stop. Really seriously this time, Q…how are you? What are your thoughts?"

The blonde sighed. "I had sex with Rachel, S. What do you think are my thoughts? I'm going crazy over here!"

"I can imagine." Santana said with an eye roll. "Quinn…do you _like _her?" she asked very hesitantly.

"_WHAT?! _God no!" Quinn had sat up on that. She now rested her back on the headboard. "I mean she's nice and much cooler now and we've been friends for a while and she's a lot more easy-going now, _thank God, _and she actually has a fashion sense at last, but that's it. We're friends and I like her as a _friend!"_

"Mhmm…" Santana was thinking. "Does she like you? As in like-like you?"

"Shit, I don't know. No, I don't think so." Quinn answered.

"How do you know?"

"Fuck, she freaked out as much as I did. Maybe even a little more! Isn't _that _a sign?" the blonde asked.

"Fuck no! First time I had sex with Britt I freaked the sweet motherfucking hell out afterwards. And I _already _knew I liked her." Santana stated.

"I don't think so, S. Rachel is ruler straight. She couldn't like me that way." Quinn offered.

"Are you sad about it?" Santana teased.

"Fuck you, Santana. No offence, but I'm not like you. I'm straight."

"None taken! But need I remind you how deep in the closet _yours truly _was before I came out?" the Latina countered.

"So?"

"So…twice, Quinn! You've had sex with girls TWICE! Don't you think it's a little strange?"

"_No…_it just happened. I'm not gay. I was drunk." Quinn was suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"You've been drunk with me a lot of times. Nothing happened." The Latina was pushing.

"I'm not gay." Quinn was mentally counting to ten.

"Can I just address the big annoying Berry elephant in the room?" Santana asked.

"What do you mean?" Quinn knitted her eyebrows together in confusion.

"The first girl that you had sex with…" the Latina started.

"What about her?" _What does she have to do with anything? _Quinn thought.

"What did she look like?" the brunette asked.

Quinn tried to picture the girl. She couldn't remember every single detail, but she remembered the basic stuff. There's only so much you can remember about a person's appearance when you see them sleeping…before you bolt out of the door.

"Umm…she was pretty. She had long, brown hair, small figure, full lips. I…can't remember anything else." Quinn was looking down.

"That's ok. That's enough to make my point." Santana said.

Quinn knitted her eyebrows even more. _What point?_

And then it came to her.

"You're out of your _fucking _mind if you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting." Quinn was furious. _Is she serious right now? Me having a thing for Rachel?! Jesus!_

"Just saying, Q! It's not that crazy. I mean, it was always personal with you and Man-Hands. You singled her out at school even before she stole Finn from you. And you said it yourself, she's hot now. Is what I'm saying that _far off?"_ Santana was trying to help the situation but had a feeling she wasn't doing a good job.

"Yes! It _is! _I'm not gay and I, certainly, am not gay for Rachel!" the blonde was fuming.

"Ok, ok, alright. I'm sorry. Maybe I'm talking shit right now." Santana said in a low voice.

"You are." Quinn stated.

Santana chuckled. "So, how did you leave things?" she asked.

Quinn sighed. "God, it was awful. We had an argument and I left without even saying goodbye and it was horrible." She was pinching the bridge of her nose. "I don't know if we're ever going to talk again."

"That bad huh?" the Latina asked.

"_That _bad."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know" Quinn replied "I'm going to forget that it ever happened – like Rachel and I both agreed – and go on with my life?"

Santana sighed. _This is getting tiring._

"Ok, you go on and do that, Q" she said. "But first, you need to relax. It ain't big deal if you got some girl loving. Even with Berry for that matter. So keep that in mind, go take a shower or whatever and _relax."_

"Okay" Quinn said sounding like a child being given instructions.

"Okay. Good. Now I'm gonna go 'cause I have an early class tomorrow and I need to prepare some shit. Will you be ok?" Santana could be so sweet sometimes.

"I'll be fine." Quinn reassured.

"Okay, Q. Have a good night. Call me if you need anything. _Anything!"_

Quinn smiled. "I will. Hey, Santana?"

"What?" the Latina asked.

"Thank you." The blonde offered truthfully.

"Yeah yeah. Bye, Q." Santana hang up the phone.

As did Quinn. She was staring at the corner of her dorm room. Seeing nothing really, just letting it all sink in. She took a deep breath that filled her lungs, grabbed her towel and toiletries bag and went out the door. A few steps further and she found the door to the shared bathroom.

Quinn quickly scanned the room to see if anyone else was there. She saw a girl finishing up her make-up looking at the mirror. She thanked god that she had no idea who the girl was; she wasn't in the mood for small talk with anyone right now. She quickly found a stall, locked the door behind her and hang her towel. After taking her clothes off, she turned on the shower and tested the water. _A little warmer. _When it was the desirable temperature, she stepped under the spray of water. Immediately she took a deep breath and sighed. _Finally. _Quinn closed her eyes and placed her hands on the wall in front of her to steady herself. She turned her head facing up, feeling the spray of warm water massage her face. She let an inaudible moan of relaxation slip her lips.

The blonde felt like she needed this so much. She faced down, the water now assaulting the back of her head, but this time she opened her eyes to watch the thick drops slide through her hair and fall on the tile floor. She felt her body fall into some kind of blissful lethargy. Her muscles were finally relaxed. Her raging mind lastly at ease.

It didn't last long.

Visions of dark, wavy hair filled her eyes. Sounds of easy, flirty laughter raided her ears. Her lips, her touch, her scent. Bodies clashing to meld into one another. Her knees betraying her, she grabbed the sides of the stall to keep her balance. Out of breath, she shook her head violently to rid herself of the images attacking her mind. Her senses. Feeling her stomach twist into a knot, electricity ran through her body leaving a heated trail, exciting every single molecule composing her now shuddering frame.

And then she was lost.

* * *

_**(Flashback)**  
_

_Rachel was staring at the window by their booth. _

"_Wow! It's really pouring out there!" she said with a child-like excitement._

_Quinn was watching her amused. "Yes, it really is!" she added with a grin._

"_What are you smiling about?" questioned the brunette lazily and shyly. Quinn was looking at her in a way she wasn't used to. Amazement? Curiosity? She couldn't quite put a finger on it._

"_I'm just happy to be here, Rach!"_

"_Well, it surely took you a long time!" the smaller girl chastised playfully._

"_I know, I'm sorry! It's just that I've been so busy with all the schoolwork at the university and…"_

"_It's alright, Quinn! I know how busy you are. You don't need to apologize to me." Rachel cut her off with a wide smile and reached for her hand. "How was Thanksgiving back in the great city of Lima, Ohio? Did you have fun?"_

"_Oh, yeah! Absolutely. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my life now at Yale; but I can't help but miss all of you sometimes, you know?"_

"_I know exactly what you mean, Quinn." Rachel said with a sad smile. She utterly adores her new life in the big city, but that didn't mean she didn't get homesick at times. _

"_I saw Finn." Stated Quinn sliding her finger on the rim of her wine glass, her eyes inspecting the brunette's reaction._

"_Oh yeah?" Rachel was looking down, sad, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. _

_Quinn slapped her forehead and cursed under her breath. "I'm so sorry, Rachel! I shouldn't have brought it up right now. We were having such a good time and now I ruined it!" Quinn felt bad about ruining thegirl's cheery mood._

"_No! I'm ok!"_

_The blonde gave her friend a side glance, narrowing her eyes, to see if she was telling the truth._

"_I am! Really! It's just a sore subject is all."_

_Quinn kept on looking at her pensively. And then the megawatt smile was back on. She started rummaging through her purse. _

_Rachel was looking at her curiously. "What are you looking for? What's with that smile again? You're scaring me!" she said laughing._

"_Uh huh!" exclaimed the blonde triumphantly holding something in her hand. "You'll see!" she said as she stood up and strutted to the bar._

_Rachel was watching her fixed. She smiled widely glad to see her friend's playful side for once. People do change after high school, she thought._

"_There you go!" exclaimed the blonde as she put four shots of silver tequila and a small bowl of lime wedges on their table._

_Rachel guffawed. "Are you crazy? I can't do these shots, Quinn! I'm already slightly inebriated!" _

"_Well, two shots are not going to make a difference, are they?" the blonde reasoned amusingly. "Now, come on!" _

_Quinn pushed a shot glass to Rachel's side of the table. The brunette side glanced at it worryingly and then looked at Quinn hiding her smile. "You're being bossy!"_

_Quinn laughed the comment off and raised her eyebrows to motion the diva to hold her glass. "To us finally seeing each other again!" the blonde said enthusiastically raising her own shot glass to make a toast. _

_Rachel was chuckling at her friend's antiques, picked up her shot glass and made her own toast. "To you, finally making use of the Metronorth pass!" she exclaimed with same vigor. The blonde stuck out her tongue to that._

_And down goes the liquor. Both girls twisted their mouths open at the feeling of the alcohol burning their throats. Rachel added a small cough saying "Oh my god, that was awful!"_

"_What are you talking about? It was…oh shit!" Quinn said dramatically._

"_What is it?" the brunette worried._

"_We forgot to do the salt and lime!" _

"_So?" Rachel shrugged._

"_So?! That's the whole point of tequila shots! You kidding?" Quinn was looking at her as she was stating the most obvious thing in the history of the world. "Let's do the other one! But right this time!"_

"_Haven't we had enough already, Quinn?" Rachel question defeated._

"_Not even close! Come on, Rachel!" she said as she nudged the second shot glass to the brunette. "We have to do it right, ok?"_

"_Ok!" Rachel frowned and looking slightly scared. "What do I have to do?"_

"_Ok, you want to lick a small area at the back of your hand or wrist or whatever and spill some salt on it." Quinn instructed. "Have you really not done this before?"_

_Rachel shook her head. "I'm more of a wine or champagne kind of girl."_

"_Of course you are." The blonde muttered with a smile. "Now get on with it!" she ordered playfully gesturing with her hands._

"_Ok, ok, alright! No need to get bossy again with me, Fabray!" she said reaching for the saltshaker. She licked the back of her hand and spilt some salt on it. "Aren't you going to do it?" she asked the blonde who was now staring at her._

"_Oh yeah...yes, definitely!" she answered quickly as if waking up from stupor. She licked the side of her wrist and spilt some salt. "Are you ready?"_

"_Wait! What about a toast?"_

"_Are we going to do this every time?" questioned the ex-cheerleader. _

"_Most definitely!" the diva replied sure of herself and added "To friends and precious times!"_

"_Here, here!" Quinn agreed and down went the tequila._

_Rachel was making that face again and Quinn rushed. "Quick, quick! Do the lime wedge!" and she grabbed two wedges placing one in her mouth and biting it and the other one in Rachel's. As the brunette bit down her own lime, juice squirted and was now sliding on her chin. Quinn chuckled and with her thumb, she cleared the juice off Rachel's chin and brought it to her mouth to suck it dry._

_Rachel stared stupefied. Maybe it was the liquor, maybe it was the intimacy of Quinn's gesture. The fact was that Rachel felt her stomach flutter and a warmth settle in her belly region. She was so glad they were finally good friends!_

"_Wasn't it better this time?" Quinn nodded happily._

"_Actually yes, it most certainly was!" the brunette admitted. "You know what? I'm going to purchase some more for us to drink!" she stated as she grabbed her purse and pranced to the bar._

_Quinn looked at her amazed. Rachel has definitely changed since high school. Not that, she had anything wrong then (well maybe some annoying traits but she was past them long ago) but she definitely looked different now. Outside and inside. She was more confident, more loosened up! And was rocking that new look. Her eyes travelled her friend's body. Great hair, great dress, great legs, great shoes. "Looking good, Berry!" she said to herself before realizing that she was staring at the diva's ass. Quickly she averted her eyes finding a new interest in the menu on their table. She heard the sound of glasses clinking and looked up to see the brunette placing four shots of silver goodness on the table._

"_Were you just staring at my ass?" Rachel asked amused._

"_What?! No!" Quinn panicked and tried to make a save. "I was admiring your outfit." She said shyly._

"_Well thank you!" the brunette said with her hand on her heart and closing her eyes, mimicking an upper class lady._

"_Seriously, you look great, Rachel." _

_Rachel stiffened. She wasn't used to Quinn's compliments. "Thank you, Quinn." She replied sincerely. "You look wonderful. As always."_

_The blonde lowered her head to hide a blush and muttered a barely audible "thank you". _

_Rachel smiled "You're most welcome! Now come on, Fabray! Jose is waiting!" she offered happily and raised her shot glass. "To good sense of fashion and the always-willing-to-do-a-makeover gay friends!"_

_Quinn laughed heartedly and clinked their glasses. The alcohol was now bearable so they downed it easily and repeated the rituals. A lot of toasts ensued (as well as shots, obviously) : "To NYADA!", "To Yale!", "To Barbra and her immense talent!", "To secret societies!". It was out of control. At one point they couldn't come up with any other ideas for their toasts so they repeated them._

_Several shots later, they could be heard from every corner of the bar. Laughing loudly, sharing funny stories and memories…loudly. _

"…_and then someone knocked on our door and a large group of strangers (most of them drag queens by the way) barged in and announced that we were having a party!" Rachel yelled totally amused._

_Quinn was laughing loudly leaning forward at the table, tears in her eyes. She let het laughter die down and sighed happily._

"_Oh my God!" Rachel exclaimed thumping her hands on the table._

"_What? What?!" the blonde looked panicked._

"_Ohmygod I love this song!" she explained dreamily._

_Quinn relaxed and rolled her eyes at the brunette's reaction._

"_Get up! Come on!"_

"_Where are we going?" Quinn slurred, already up and dragged by her friend._

"_We're dancing!" answered the smaller girl._

"_No, no, no, no!"_

"_Come on! I said we're dancing!" ordered Rachel._

"Down in Mexico" _was blasting through the speakers as the blonde tagged Rachel's hand and pulling her close. "Now who's the bossy one?" she said in a sultry voice._

_Rachel stood mesmerized. It had been a long time since the blonde was this close up to her, looking at her like that. But it wasn't the same exactly. Neither Quinn's look nor what that look induced was exactly the same as back when they were enemies. She couldn't quite figure it out yet but that feeling in her belly was back again._

"_I thought you wanted to dance." The blonde teased._

"_Oh, I do." Rachel said as she placed her hands on Quinn's sides motioning her to move her hips._

_Quinn looked up and laughed. She took the girl's hand and turned her around. Rachel was startled but kept moving her hips rhythmically._

"_You're a really good dancer" sounded a low voice from behind sending her shivers down her spine._

_Rachel didn't respond to that – at least not with words, and placed Quinn's hands on her hips._

_The blonde goggled and let out a breath she didn't know she had. The smaller girl was moving seductively against her body, creating electricity between them. Quinn suddenly felt really warm and wondered if her skin was turning red from the heat._

_The tempo of the song suddenly quickened and Rachel turned around to face Quinn. She threw her arms around the taller girl's neck and started shaking her bottom according to the beat. She had her eyes closed and leaned her head back. Quinn was mesmerized by the brunette's sexy attitude. She wasn't quite dancing rather than standing there serving as the brunette's pole. No one was complaining though._

_When the song ended Rachel was out of breath. She smiled and let out a breathy sigh. "That was great." She said in a low voice capturing her dance partner's eyes._

"_Mmhmm" was her answer._

"_Come on! Our shots are waiting!" Rachel said smirking at the blonde and led the way to their booth._

_Quinn gestured the bartender to prepare them another round._

_A couple of rounds later Quinn was sitting next to Rachel inspecting the girl's new earrings." They are very beautiful, Rachel."_

"_Why, thank you! We should make a toast about them!"_

"_Oh my God…" Quinn was shaking her head._

_Rachel playfully slapped her on her arm. "I don't see you coming up with better ideas!"_

"_Ok, ok" said the blonde as Rachel proceeded to lick her wrist._

"_Wait! I want to do it another way now!"_

_Rachel looked at her quizzically. "And what is that way?"_

_Quinn was smirking "Well, first of all, you're going to do yours first!" She said, her voice several tones lower. "Now, I want you to lick my hand or wrist or whatever body part you wish and spill the salt there."_

_Rachel sat still. She felt her head swim._

"_Then" the blonde continued "I'm going to place the lime between my teeth and you're going to take it from there. Ok?"_

"_Uh huh" the brunette agreed looking just a tad shocked...and, at the thought of licking Quinn, surprisingly aroused. She sat up placing her knees on the seat and faced Quinn. She took the blonde's right arm and placed a nice languid lick on the inside of Quinn's wrist._

_The blonde shuddered._

_Rachel spilt some salt on the wetted area while Quinn placed the lime wedge between her teeth. They looked straight into each other's eyes and the taller girl nodded for her to go on._

_Rachel, never losing eye contact with Quinn, licked the salted skin, downed the shot and leaned forward to retrieve her lime from Quinn's mouth. Her lips came in contact with the blonde's and she closed her eyes, enjoying momentarily the feeling, before she trapped the wedge between her own teeth and bit it._

_Quinn was staring at the brunette. _Wow! _A strange but not at all unfamiliar heat reached her core._

_Rachel leaned forward again and whispered "…your turn."_

_Quinn let out a chuckle and with a smirk she added "I think I'm going to go with…" she scooted closer to the girl and grazed her forearm with her knuckles, sending shivers down he brunette's spine "…there!" she finished and licked painfully slowly Rachel's shoulder._

_A wave of arousal hit the smaller girl and blushed furiously. She placed a lime between her teeth while the blonde spilt salt on her shoulder. Quinn stared at her, hazel eyes growing darker by the second and licked the salt off her shoulder making Rachel shut her eyes, her mind reeling. Quinn downed the liquor and slowly inched closer to Rachel's mouth, her eyes glued on hers. The small diva was breathing heavily and Quinn loved the feeling of causing the same effect the brunette had caused her. Their lips touched and licking Rachel's bottom lip in the process, the taller girl took the lime and bit it, closing her eyes to enjoy the taste._

_Opening her eyes, she saw the brunette stare at her and smirked. Rachel was practically leering._

_Realizing just that, she cleared her throat and passed the next shot to Quinn decisively. The blonde looked at her intrigued. Rachel then scooted closer to her and asked if she was ready. When the girl nodded, she grabbed Quinn from the back of her neck and in a very slow motion she leaned in and licked the blonde's pulse point._

_The blonde let out a gasp. Pleased with her reaction, Rachel spilt salt on the wetted area on Quinn's neck and grabbed a lime wedge. "Open", she ordered. Like a good soldier, the other girl obeyed and opened her mouth to let the diva place the lime between her teeth. _

_Rachel locked eyes with the girl before her. She was so beautiful. Quinn was looking at her like she was intoxicated and terrified at the same time. Well, surely the intoxication part was dead on. She leaned in, her left hand on the girl's neck, and languidly licked the salted area. Quinn felt a shiver start from where Rachel's mouth was and end deep inside her core. The brunette quickly downed her shot and grabbed the blonde from the back of her neck again. They had locked eyes and both were breathing heavily now. They were an inch apart when Rachel closed her mouth on Quinn's, licking the blonde's bottom and upper lip. Quinn's head was swimming, her body filled with desire for the brunette. Rachel snatched the lime from her mouth and smiling she bit it, looking at Quinn through her eyelashes._

_They seemed to be having a staring contest, both girls unable to form any kind of thought at this point, when the bartender yelled "Closing time, guys! Thank you all for coming!"_

_Never losing eye contact, Quinn said "Let's get out of here."_

_Rachel nodded and quickly put on her coat. Quinn was waiting for her by the door, her jacket already on, and opened the door for her. _

"_But I don't have an umbrella." Stated Rachel with a child-like disappointment. It was still raining cats and dogs outside. _

_Quinn considered their options. "Run?"_

_Rachel thought for a second and placed her hand in Quinn's already offered hand. They started running in the pouring rain, trying to avoid puddles and failing miserably, Rachel squealing like a maniac and Quinn laughing her heart out._

_After a few blocks, they reached Rachel's building. They hurried in to shield themselves from any more rain (although there was no point since they were already soaked to the bone). Their shoes were really wet from the rain as well and in combination with the marble floor of the foyer, disaster was imminent. Quinn slipped and losing her balance she fell on the marble floor with a thud, taking Rachel with her. The smaller girl landed on top of her and after she made sure Quinn hadn't hit her head she started laughing uncontrollably._

"_I fell down and you're laughing?" Quinn asked incredulously, laughing despite herself._

"_I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" said Rachel not even trying to sound honest, but actually laughing harder._

_Quinn started laughing uncontrollably appreciating the comedy and gripped Rachel by her hips. The brunette dipped her head into Quinn's neck, smelling the girl's perfume and moaned. Their laughter died down. Feeling Rachel so close, Quinn's mind was reeling from desire for the brunette. Way in the back of her mind she knew it maybe, probably, possibly was a mistake so she nudged the brunette, who was now nestling in her neck. "It's a teeny tiny bit uncomfortable here. Would you mind getting up, Rach?"_

_The small girl groaned and stood up but not before she made an effort to brush up against the blonde's body. Quinn rolled her eyes; not sarcastically this time. Rachel offered her hand and helped the girl get up. They ran into the elevator, chuckling as their previous accident seemed pretty hilarious to them still. When they reached Rachel and Kurt's floor they went out the elevator doors. Rachel was fumbling in her purse for her keys for what seemed like eons to her when she heard the blonde groan. She looked at her, eyes full of worry and asked "What's wrong, Quinn?"_

"_It's nothing. Just my back; it hurts a little from the fall." Quinn said making a move to walk to Rachel's door and wincing._

"_Oh, poor thing." Rachel said pouting. "Let me see."_

_She went to Quinn's side and reached for the hem of her shirt._

"_It's ok, Rach. You don't have to." Quinn said trying to avoid the brunette's touch._

"_Nonsense. I just want to take a look." Rachel admonished and pulled the blonde's shirt upwards, exposing Quinn's back. She let out a breath which seemed hidden at the back of her neck and gently touched the skin. She felt the girl shudder and ran her fingertips ever so slowly up and down Quinn's back, sending shivers down both their spines. With her thumb she massaged the girl's side._

_Quinn, being on the receiving end of Rachel's administrations, was having a hard time breathing. The small diva was running her fingertips down her back painfully slowly, waking a heat deep inside her. She couldn't take it anymore. This was torture._

_She grabbed Rachel's hand from behind, startling the girl, grabbed her hips and pinned her on the wall. Their faces were an inch apart, maybe less, and they were both panting. They were staring at each other's eyes, all darkened by desire. Quinn bit her bottom lip and Rachel, focusing on that sight, let out a small cry. Then Quinn's lips were on hers; nipping, sucking her bottom lip. Rachel grabbed Quinn by the back of her neck bringing them incredibly closer. She licked the girl's lips, asking permission, desperate to enter the blonde's mouth. It was immediately granted and the brunette delved her tongue inside wrestling with Quinn's. Both girls were panting, seeking much needed air, and moaning in each other's mouths._

_Quinn changed her position a bit, placing her leg between Rachel. Her thigh came in contact with Rachel's core, eliciting the most erotic and arousing sound that has ever reached her ears. Moaning from the new wave of arousal hitting her, she deepened her kiss ever more. The smaller girl started grinding softly on the blonde's thigh, feeling heavenly but wanting more._

_Filled with desire and anticipation, she grabbed Quinn's collar and never leaving her lips, they made for the door of the loft. She broke the kiss to find her keys and unlock the door, with Quinn pressed up against her, nuzzling her neck from behind. They entered the dark loft and Rachel stepped in front of Quinn, making her way to the bedroom, when her hand was grabbed by Quinn's and tagged forcefully until she was flush against the blonde's body. Their mouths clashed, hot tongues wrestling inside them, sending chills. Quinn took the shorter girl's coat off and let it fall on the floor. She dipped her head into Rachel's neck licking, sucking, biting. The brunette let a guttural moan out and the blonde sucked harder only to run her tongue over the reddened area afterwards to alleviate the sting. _

_Rachel, who was grabbing Quinn's neck, pulled her hair at the back of her head a little bit causing the blonde to look at her with even more desire. "_Inside_" she mouthed and both of them walked into Rachel's bedroom, kissing, devouring each other on the way._

_Once inside, the blonde pinned Rachel at the door, successfully closing it. She ran her eyes over the brunette's figure and licked her lips. With no hesitation she ran her knuckles across Rachel's dress clad abdomen and stopped when she felt the side zipper of the dress. Very slowly, painfully, she undid it and ran her hands on each of Rachel's sides. The smaller girl was completely mesmerized by the blonde's confidence and touch, resulting to her growing arousal. Quinn tagged the hem of the dress and pulled it down, letting it pool around Rachel's ankles and exposing a beautiful, tanned, slim body. She was awestruck! The girl before her had the sexiest body she had ever seen and she wanted her mouth on it._

_Fulfilling her wishes, she started licking and sucking on Rachel's neck and pulse point sending bolts of lightning straight to the brunette's center. Obtaining some state of mind, Rachel started frantically pulling on Quinn's shirt. "Off!" she demanded. Wasting no time she helped the blonde get rid of it and started undoing her jeans while the taller girl was kicking away her shoes. Pulling her jeans down, Rachel's eyes filled with wonder. Quinn in her underwear was a sight that could leave everybody breathless. The girl was absolutely flawless. And to think that she had given birth… _

_Quinn grabbed Rachel by her shoulders and sliding her hands down her forearms she started walking backwards towards the bed, holding the girl by her wrists. Losing her balance once again, she fell on the bed with Rachel on top of her, just like it had happened at the foyer. They started giggling at the memory again._

_Rachel started kissing Quinn's neck, sucking small areas between her teeth and causing the blonde to shudder. She nudged and pushed her to move up towards the head of the bed. The taller girl obliged. Rachel crawled on top of her once again and straddled her hips. Quinn was looking at her intoxicated. She ran her hand up her abdomen and cupped her breasts. Rachel leaned back, with closed eyes and moaned. That sound was going to be Quinn's death, she was sure. The brunette leaned back down and placed a scorching kiss on the blonde's mouth, who missed no chance to reach her hands behind Rachel's back and unclasp her bra, releasing her breasts from the offending garment. She grabbed a strap and threw the bra away landing somewhere in the room. _

_Without hesitation, she embraced the smaller girl and sat up, bringing them both in an upright position. The brunette kept on assaulting her mouth, until Quinn broke away from the kiss to wrap her hot mouth around Rachel's nipple. The brunette gasped at the sensation. Nipping the bud, sucking it while massaging the other breast, the blonde was giving Rachel her full attention and an incredible amount of pleasure. Switching her focus but not quite, Quinn stopped sucking on Rachel's left nipple and started licking and grinding her teeth on her right, while pinching her left one with her thumb and index finger. Rachel was in heaven. She had never felt like this before. So much touch. So much desire. She reached behind Quinn's back and unclasped the blonde's bra and tossed it away. Her eyes darkened at the sight of Quinn's breasts and she started massaging them gently, feeling the blonde's nipples taut against her palms. They were both panting, screaming inside for more contact and much needed release._

_Rachel pushed Quinn down and kissed her fierily. She moved to the side of her neck, licking , sucking, and moved to her chest. She ran her mouth over Quinn's aching nipples and sucked them fiercely. The blonde arched and let out a gasp. The feeling was amazing! The brunette on top of her moved to her left breast and did the same, all the while pushing her thigh against Quinn's center and massaging her right breast. The blonde was panting, aching for the diva to touch her._

_As if Rachel could read her mind (she was part psychic after all), she slid her hands on Quinn's sides until she found the waistband of the blonde's panties. With one smooth move, she slid them down her toned legs and off the girl's body, exposing a very naked and a very shaking blonde. Kissing her way up, Quinn reached for her shoulders and pulled her up "Com'ere" she asked her voice even lower than before._

_Rachel obliged and came face to face again with the girl at the bottom. Quinn embraced her and ran her hands down Rachel's back digging her nails and leaving very thin red lines behind. The brunette moaned in her mouth and placed her hands on the bed on each side of Quinn's head. The blonde was now cupping Rachel's firm ass and squeezing, earning a louder moan from the brunette. She let her thumbs slide under the waistband of Rachel's panties and pushed them down. With a little help from the brunette and their feet, she got rid of them, leaving a naked and dripping Rachel writhing above her._

_Their bodies were now covering each other's perfectly. Lost in the amazing feeling, they started grinding against each other. Their lithe bodies now coated with a thin layer of sweat were gliding, mixing their own wetness and sweat. They needed release and they needed it now._

_With a swift movement, Quinn grabbed Rachel from the waist and flipped them over, placing her own body on top of the brunette's. She locked eyes with dark brown ones and then she delved her tongue into Rachel's mouth with force; claiming it. She reached her right hand down, grazing soft, heated skin on her way. Never leaving the girls mouth, she stopped when she felt unbelievable amount of heat and looked deep in the brunette's eyes. Rachel nodded, giving silent confirmation, and Quinn dove into her mouth again. She used her fingers to slide down Rachel's aching center and what she felt made her insides twist with arousal and her head feel dizzy. "_Fuck, _you're so wet!" she panted._

_Rachel let a cry fall off her lips at the amazing sensation of Quinn's touch and the words coming out of the blonde's talented mouth. Quinn was running her fingers up and down Rachel's pussy and started circling the girl's clit. The brunette arched her back, needing that very touch and more, gasping for air. Quinn, giving pleasure to Rachel, was more aroused than ever. She was practically dripping on the girl's thigh. She pushed her pelvis down and grinded against Rachel's leg, never once breaking the ministrations on the diva's clit. They both groaned heavily at the sensation, losing their breaths._

_Rachel's body was writhing underneath her own, needing more. So Quinn glided her fingers down Rachel's pussy, waking all the nerves in the process and teased the girl's entrance. The brunette pushed against her hand, making her state, and the blonde eased one finger inside. They both gasped. "_Oh my God!" _Rachel breathed. Quinn's mouth found hers and started a feverish assault. Pumping her wet core she stifled Rachel's moans with her kisses. The brunette broke the kiss and pleading panted, "More!"_

_Quinn's eyes rolled back at the sound of Rachel's now deep voice and request and smoothly eased a second finger in. The heat, the wetness, the tightness! _Oh God! _She kept grinding against the brunette's thigh while pushing her fingers into Rachel's core; harder, deeper, faster. Rachel wanted to scream. Thank god for Quinn's mouth stifling all her cries. The pleasure she was feeling was almost unbearable! The blonde's fingers filling her pussy. The sight of a panting Quinn grinding on her thigh, coating her with her thick wetness. It was all so amazingly overwhelming and so new. _

_Quinn felt the brunette's walls tighten. She pushed deeper. Rachel let out a throaty moan and pulled the blonde to scoot a little higher up her body. She needed to touch. She cupped Quinn's hot, dripping sex and gasped "Fuck, you're drenched!" _

_Both girls clashed their mouths, stifling each other's moans. Rachel slid her fingers down the blonde's core and without any hesitation, pushed one finger in. Quinn, who was kneeling above Rachel's lithe body, fucking her with vigor, almost lost her balance at the feeling of the diva's finger inside her. Immediately realizing that it wouldn't be enough, Rachel pushed up inside her another finger causing the beautiful blonde above her to cry with pleasure._

_They kept pushing their fingers deep inside each other; every time a little deeper. Every time a little harder. Curling their fingers they hit that sweet spot. One more thrust. Then one more. A final deep thrust and they were both gasping for air, feeling each other's spasms, blinded by the white heat electrifying their whole bodies and sending jolts deep inside them, releasing them from their sweet torture. _

_Quinn lay on top of Rachel, trying to catch her breath. She hadn't felt more relaxed in her whole life. She gently pulled her fingers out of Rachel and heard her mourn the loss. The brunette did the same but not before teasing the blonde's sensitive clit. Quinn jerked from the touch and fell on Rachel's side. She chuckled and kissed the brunette soundly. Rachel smiled lazily at her and tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind Quinn's ear. The now drowsy blonde, rested her head on Rachel's shoulder and it wasn't long before both girls drifted off to sleep._

* * *

"…and…5…6…7…8!"

Rachel was feeling dizzy, her stomach turned into a thousand knots; the full memory of the previous night had messed with her head and body so much she was panting. Her knees betraying her, she fell down the dance studio floor. Brody ran to her aid.

"Goddamn it, Schwimmer! Your incompetence is holding this class back!" Cassandra yelled placing her cane over her right shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. I…I lost my balance. I'm…not feeling …quite well" she stuttered.

"Well, go on then. Don't waste our time. Get!"

Rachel quickly stood up, and ran to the corner to collect her things. Brody ran behind her.

"Are you ok?" he looked concerned. "What's going on?"

Rachel let out a half laugh between her efforts to catch her breath. _Believe me, you don't want to know._

"I'm ok, Brody. Really. It's just that I didn't have any breakfast or lunch today and it got to me. I'm going home to grab a bite and rest. I'll be alright." She lied.

"Ok then. Just…be careful." He said looking worried and kissed her on the cheek.

Rachel smiled awkwardly and waved goodbye to him and her classmates. Cassandra was waving back mockingly with a fake smile on her face.

Rachel quickened her pace and soon rushed out of the building. _OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhG od!_

* * *

Tell me what you think :)


	4. What Kind of Fuckery Is This?

_**Well hello, my lovelies! Back with a new chapter. Not as long as the previous one but pivotal to the story's progression. **_

_**I would like to say a big big 'thank you' for all your reviews and follows. And, of course, to my best friend Dina who keeps reading this fanfic even though Faberry is not her bag of chips.**_

_**I deeply apologize for my spelling or grammar mistakes. I don't have a beta. So, if anyone's interested, please don't hesitate to PM me.**_

_**I do NOT own Glee or its characters. But I own a vast variety of tea and coffee blends 'cause I'm a caffeine junkie.**_

_**Hope you enjoy this chapter, as well. Don't forget: Read & Review. All comments are welcome.**_

* * *

_**~ Chapter 4 – What Kind of Fuckery Is This? ~**_

Rachel's lungs were burning. She was struggling to breathe as she tried to avoid colliding into unsuspected New Yorkers. The bustling streets of the big city were making it impossible for her to find a clear pathway to run on in order to get to the safety of her home in time. Her head was spinning, her knees were weak and she was hyperventilating. _Is this what panic attacks feel like? Is THIS a panic attack? Why haven't I researched it before? I should have been prepared in case it happened. Well, it's too late now, isn't it? I am dying, aren't I? Oh God, I am dying! My Broadway career hasn't even started yet. It isn't fair. Deep breaths! Deep breaths! Quinn's hands. More deep breaths! Keep breathing, Rachel Barbra Berry! Quinn's moans. Oh for the love of…_

Her internal rant came to an abrupt stop when she felt someone pulling her forcefully. Breathing heavily, mouth agape, she looked behind her. A tall middle-aged man was grabbing her arm, raising his eyebrows motioning for her to look at the street. There were people on her side of the street and on the opposite one, waiting patiently for the pedestrian light to turn green. Cabs and cars speeding, driving past her, causing ripples of air to cover her face with brown locks. _Death by walking into moving traffic it is! That's wonderful! _She turned around, feeling a little embarrassed, and silently thanked the stranger.

The light turned green after what seemed to be decades and off she was again. Fast on her heels, she zigzagged through the busy street with the sole purpose of reaching her home. Her shelter.

Finally walking through the threshold, she shut the door of the loft and leaned her back on it. She took a deep breath to calm the nerves and brought her hands to her face covering it. This was so messed up. The young diva had never experienced something like that before. Yes, she had had her share of drama and angst, but this was new territory. She had broken up with Finn, which was followed by her attraction to a fellow student, Brody. They had kissed once and the attraction was evident. Then all hell was unleashed when a certain blonde came to New York to visit her and Kurt. They had sex. The one-night stand kind of sex. The earth-shuttering, mind-blowing kind of sex; at the memory of which she curled her toes, still feeling tingles all over her body.

Rachel was utterly confused. She couldn't make heads or tails of the whole situation. Was she attracted to girls? Was she attracted to Quinn? Was she gay? Was she bi? Was she going crazy?

_Well, not entirely impossible._

She walked to the kitchen and grabbed a glass and an already opened bottle of Pinot Noir. With heavy steps, she walked to the living area and sat comfortably on the couch. She poured a glass of the dark red wine and brought her knees to her chest. Sighing heavily she desperately tried to rearrange her thoughts. She needed to make some sense of the situation.

It wouldn't bother her if she liked girls. She was raised by two gay dads, for God's sake. Half of her friends were gay. And she knew she had admired other girls' bodies quite extensively at locker rooms or showers at times. But it had never occurred to her that she might have the slightest attraction to girls. Her admiration of female figures and beauty had always been attributed to jealousy. So what was this? What did it mean?

It was an utter shock to come to the realization that she might be attracted to women. That's what got to her; the surprise. Well, among other things. She had forever thought of herself as a ruler straight girl. Now her ruler might be bending a little. _Ugh! This is so frustrating, _she thought and took a sip.

Startling her from her thoughts, her phone buzzed. She had a text message. Suddenly her heart rate picked up, thinking that it might be Quinn. They had left things quite horribly and she couldn't help but wonder if the blonde would avoid her or be mad at her or confront her. Hell, she didn't even know what _she herself _was going to do.

Quickly, she grabbed her phone from the coffee table with trembling hands, nerves getting the best of her. Disappointed she read the text message sent from Brody. He was checking up on her, wondering if she was feeling any better. She punched the keys forming a reply, assuring him that she was ok and that she was going to turn in rather early.

Yes, she was avoiding him. That much was clear. She didn't know what else to do. The boy was great. He was thoughtful, sexy and she really liked him. It was just that her mind was a farrago of conflicting thoughts and she couldn't deal with him right now. Being honest with herself, she admitted that her avoidance was a tiny teeny bit convenient since she felt a little guilty towards the boy.

Brody sent her another text message, bidding her goodnight. Rachel smiled at that. But soon her smile faltered as another thought flitted her mind.

Quinn had left since this morning. It was the evening. Was she home? Did she get there safely? Would the blonde even let her know that she did, given their current status?

Worried, Rachel started biting her thumbnail, considering her options? Should she call her? _No, no, no...no! _Should she text her? _And how exactly would I go about that? _Should she get Kurt to call her? _He is going to ask questions wondering why I couldn't do that for myself and I am NOT ready for that drama. _Should she call Quinn's dorm? _I have no idea which dorm she's staying in. _Not that she knew anybody there that could provide her with the information she needed. She imagined the conversation between a Yalie staying at Quinn's dorm and herself (-_"Yes, hello, I wish to find out if Quinn Fabray has reached her room safe and sound." –"Umm…who are you?" – "Just…nobody.") _

_Ok, stalker much? _She thought huffing.

She was flat out worried now. _What if she got hit by a car? What if she got mugged? What if she got pushed in front of a train by a maniac? What? Psychopaths are everywhere nowadays!_

Afraid that she was wasting time and deeply concerned that the blonde was lying face down in a ditch somewhere, she quickly typed a text message and hit 'send'.

A reply could not come too soon.

* * *

Quinn opened the door to her dorm room and quickly stepped in. She threw her toiletries bag on her desk and started frantically drying her hair with a towel. She sat down on her chair, feeling weak on her knees. The memory of her and Rachel's _interaction _last night was fresh in her mind and it made her stomach do cartwheels inside her. She closed her eyes, focusing on drying her hair. It didn't go well. She was hearing Rachel's moans again. She was feeling gentle fingers rake her shuddering body. _God, this is too much! _The room felt too hot right now, it was too small. She stood up and started changing into her sweats and worn-out grey T-shirt. _What next? _She needed to keep busy. She needed to NOT think of Rachel right now.

She started pacing in her room, trying to think anything but last night. Her schedule for the week, laundry, the psych paper she needed to hand in at the end of the week, Rachel's neck (_shit!), _her friends from Yale, Santana, Rachel's gruff voice claiming how wet she was (_oh my god!). _

She stopped pacing and placed her hands on her head as if it would prevent her mind from thinking that way. The blonde would give everything not to have a functioning brain right now.

She reached for the top shelf of her bookcase and grabbed a bottle of Merlot. She considered grabbing the bottle next to it for a second, but laughed bitterly and went for the wine; it would be a while before she had tequila again. _That's for sure! _She cursed herself under her breath for not getting around to buying some proper wine glasses yet and grabbed a coffee mug from the small cupboard above the kitchenette. She turned on her laptop, sat down on her bed, her back on the wall and poured herself some wine. _Huh! If Mom could see me now. "Drinking wine from a mug, Quinnie? Really?" _she heard her mother's voice inside her head. She let out a small laugh.

The sweet liquid filled her mouth and burned just faintly on its way down. Quinn needed to calm down. She needed to keep her raging thoughts at bay. She needed to make even a small bit of sense of all this. Talking to Santana had been helpful, but then the memory of last night assaulted her senses, mercilessly at that, messing her up again; creating a mishmash of confusion, guilt, desire.

Frustrated, Quinn tried to organize her thoughts. No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, Santana was right. She had to be honest with herself. On Graduation Day, she had made a promise to herself to always stay true. She was going to chase her dreams, being the best version of herself. A fighter. She was going to be happy.

Has she been happy though? Thinking of her life since she got into Yale, a smile crept up. She _was _happy there. She had made new friends, kept in touch with her old ones, she was enjoying her classes, getting straight As. She was dating David, her psych professor. Her smile faltered. _Shit! David. _Guilt ran through her body, making her feel sick. _Let's put another one on the Cheated-by-Quinn-Fabray list! Fuck!_

She didn't want to be that person ever again. She didn't want to be HBIC anymore. She didn't want to be her egotistical, manipulative old self. She was long past _her. _

But that didn't change the fact that she had been dating her professor. She knew it was wrong. She didn't even like him that much. It was just that that whole teacher-student complex can really get to you sometimes. David had a way of making her feel like a woman. Not that she didn't feel like a woman herself. He just had this reassuring way of talking and treating her; it made her feel like a grown-up. It made her feel protected somehow. Maybe Santana was right after all; maybe she did always need a man to define who she was. _Shit…_

She didn't want to be like that. She wanted to be independent. She wanted to be able to be happy on her own. Make her dreams come true and having no married 35-year-olds on her side to define her. She would define herself.

Her relationship with David suddenly disgusted her. _What was I thinking? Falling for the classic "I'm divorcing my wife"? Fucking hell…_

She poured some more wine. It had numbed her brain a tad and it was easier now. She started feeling that sweet buzz, that sweet tingling at her nerve terminations.

Rachel's laughter echoed in her ears. _Guhhh…_

Being honest with herself, she hesitantly admitted she liked having sex with the girl. It was good, someone would say.

_Okay, let's try once more with feeling._

It was great. It was perfect. It was eye-opening. It was the kind of sex that at the faintest recollection of it, it would send shivers through your whole body and start a fire deep inside. It reminded Quinn of when she was younger and realized she couldn't see quite well from afar. Her mother had taken her to the ophthalmologist's and after their trip to the optician's, Quinn could see clearly again through her eyeglasses. The world seemed like it was born again. It seemed vivid. Vibrant. It seemed perfect.

What did it mean? It _was _the second time it happened and she remembered it this time. She remembered liking it a lot. Did she like girls?

_Probably._

Was she bisexual?

_Highly possible._

_Wait._

Quinn remembered Santana talking about how she finally realized she was gay. The Latina had confessed that, during her process of finding out her sexual identity, she had to picture herself having sex with guys. And then girls. At the end she would register her _reactions _to each one and find out the truth.

_Seems reasonable. _The blonde shrugged_._

Quinn closed her eyes and took a very deep breath. She pictured herself with David. His hands touching her, his chin – rough to the touch from shaving, scraping her skin. Her name falling from his lips.

_Nothing. _

_Okay._

Maybe David wasn't the right choice. So she moved to the next best thing.

Puck.

Breathing deeply again, she let her mind free. She pictured Puck on top of her, gently raking his big hands over her body. Undressing her, his mouth on her skin.

_Nada._

This wasn't going anywhere. She considered thinking of Finn, but _that_ wasn't happening. She definitely wasn't about to scar herself for life and never have sex again. It was bad enough that having sex with David and Puck was as arousing as having sex with a German Shepherd.

Having a sip from her wine she moved to her next option.

Rachel.

_Okay. Let's do this._

Quinn cracked her neck, stretching her long neck from her shoulders. She closed her eyes again and air filled her lungs supplying them with oxygen. Loose strands of dark hair on her white skin, Rachel's delicate fingers leaving a hot trail on her skin, dipping inside her, their bodies melding perfectly one into the other.

_Damn. _

Quinn sighed and lowered her head.

Was she gay?

_Yeap. It was a fairly legitimate assumption._

Well, if her Mom could see her right now. Probably the whole drinking wine from a mug thing wouldn't matter so much. Compared to the gay thing, of course; Judy Fabray was a classy lady after all.

The blonde let herself enjoy the irony and laughed to herself.

When her brief moment of happiness ended, she sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

_So this is how it feels to have your life turned upside down. Ha! I thought sophomore year at High School was enough. But no, I had to experience it again. Fuck my life…_

A small pang in her stomach reminded her that she had yet another question to answer.

But she wasn't going to get into that right now. She was exhausted. Further exploration into her sexual identity would have to wait.

She placed her mug on the floor next to the bed and slipped under the warm covers. The nights in New Haven were getting colder and colder. She pulled a hand out of the covers to get her phone and set the alarm for the next morning.

She felt her stomach flutter. Her heart beat considerably faster, skipping a couple of beats here and there.

A text message from Rachel.

She let a shuddering breath leave her body. She was nervous.

_Why the fuck am I nervous? Shake it off, Fabray._

Of course, she was nervous. It was Rachel. Rachel who she had sex with the night before. The way they had left things this morning, she didn't know where they stood. She had no idea what that message would be. Was Rachel mad? Was she sorry? What was she thinking about all this?

With a trembling hand she unlocked her phone and read the message.

_**Hello, Quinn. I'm sorry to bother you but I was rather worried. Did you get home safe? –R**_

Quinn felt a warmth around her heart. Butterflies fucking around in her stomach. She tried not to smile but she couldn't help it. The corners of her mouth turned up as she was typing her reply.

_**Safe and sound. Thanks. Have a good night, Rach. –Q**_

A few minutes later sleep would find both girls. Each tucked in tight in their warm covers, in their own beds. Each with their own endless thoughts raiding their minds.

Both thinking about what they were doing before the last time they slept.

* * *

"Kurt, have you seen my black strappy shoes?" Rachel yelled, her voice echoing through the whole loft.

"Weren't you wearing them the other day?" Kurt's voice sounded from somewhere in the living room.

Rachel was standing amidst a mess inside her bedroom scratching her head, trying to remember where she had put her favorite, black strappy shoes.

"Yeah…." She said lazily.

"Rachel!" Kurt's head popped from the doorway startling the brunette. "You've got like a hundred pairs of shoes. What do you need that one in particular for?"

"It's my lucky pair!" she whined.

"We're going to Lima, honey. Not the casino. Finish up. We're going to miss our train."

It was the weekend just before Christmas. Rachel and Kurt had promised their respective families to go back to Lima and spend the holidays together. They would surely miss New York (especially with all the Christmas parties they had already been invited to) but they had missed their families more. So they were looking forward to getting on that train and travelling back to their hometown. Hence Rachel's restlessness. It wasn't the fact that she couldn't find a pair of shoes, even if it was her favorite. It was the whole trip that made her nervous.

The brunette had woken up panting and sweating after a restless sleep. A deep, sultry voice had been ringing in her ears. Locks of soft, blonde hair had been covering her tan skin. Straight, white teeth had been leaving their mark on her neck. Delicate fingers had been…well, they had been everywhere. It was a restless sleep indeed. Rachel had never had such a vivid sex dream before.

It had been more than three weeks ago that she had slept with Quinn. It had been more than three weeks ago that they had argued. It had been more than three weeks ago that they had last talked; the blonde's text message assuring her safe return to Yale had been their last form of communication.

And now here she was, packing for her and Kurt's trip back to Ohio, where it was very much likely that she would see the blonde again. She didn't know where they stood. Since she had _regained _full memory of their night together, she kept wondering if Quinn had remembered as well. She kept wondering how to handle the situation with her; would the blonde be angry? Would she avoid her? Would she laugh it off, blaming it on the alcohol? Would she even be there?

That last thought shot a pang to the brunette's chest. _Fuck. Three weeks afterwards and this is still utterly confusing._

Rachel let out a heavy sigh and sat at the edge of her twin bed. She had tried so hard to make sense of all this. She had listed her feelings for the whole situation. Literally. She had typed and printed a list of how everything that had happened affected her. The list was even color-coded. So far, she knew she felt bad for dismissing Quinn like that on that fateful morning. She knew she dreaded their next interaction. She knew she was attracted to girls. She had even made a special effort to make that clear. She started noticing her reactions when she was close to other girls. She would walk down the street with Kurt, for instance, and let her eyes roam freely onto slim physiques, firm buttocks and luscious breasts. All of that whilst earning a few odd looks by her best friend. Rachel never noticed.

She did notice though when Kurt had come home one day and found her on the couch crying happily in front of her laptop screen to the movie _Imagine Me & You. _Kurt had silently passed her the tissue box, his eyes expressing his perplexity fully.

Rachel also felt guilty when it came to Brody. They still weren't dating, much to the boy's disappointment. He had asked her out many times on numerous occasions, but the diva had always kindly declined. She was avoiding him. She had to clear her head before making a move and she couldn't cloud her judgment by going on dates. Especially when a certain blonde kept violating her thoughts and visiting her dreams.

_Ugh!_

"Seriously?! Are you still not done?" Kurt was at her bedroom door, arms crossed over his chest, looking at her incredulously.

"I'm done, I'm done…there!" the brunette assured him stuffing a scarf in the bulky suitcase before zipping it closed.

"Finally! Let's go!"

"Why are you so nervous today?" Rachel asked curiously as they were putting on their coats and hauling their luggage to the front door.

"Ugh! It's the whole Blaine thing. I really miss him and all but I have no clue how to be around him after everything, you know?"

"I know."

* * *

_This is a mistake. This is going to be a total disaster. Awkwardness all around! I should go back. No! Why the fuck is that guy staring at me like that? Pervert._

_Maybe she won't come. Maybe she'll stay in New York. Maybe I'm worrying for nothing. Maybe I should ask Santana if she knows. Hell no! I'll never hear the end of it._

_And what if she comes? So what? It's just Rachel. _Quinn sighed.

_I really should have sent her a text congratulating her on her win at the Winter Showcase thing. _

_Is she going to be mad? Nah, it's Rachel. _

_Well, it _is _Rachel. She may be cool about what happened between us and throw a complete tantrum about forgetting to send her my congratulations. You could never tell with the girl. _

_Fuck. I really should have gone through with that. How hard would it be?_

Truth was the blonde had typed a lot of messages congratulating the diva but ended up erasing them all.

The cab screeched into a halt, putting an end to her reeling thoughts. Quinn paid the cab fare, retrieved her luggage from the trunk and stared at the house in front of her.

_So many memories. Of all kinds._

Slowly but with purpose, she walked down the pathway and stopped at the front door to ring the bell. After a few seconds, the large door opened, revealing a giddy and so much loved face.

"Quinnie! You're here!"

"Hey, Mom!"


	5. Season's Greetings Part 1

_**Hello, my friends. It's Christmas time in Lima :P Here's an update. **_

_**As always, please Read and Review. I hope you all like it. I'll be posting Part 2 of this chapter really soon. All comments are welcome.**_

_**I do not own Glee or its characters. I own a deep resentment for tomatoes though.**_

* * *

_**~ Chapter 5 – Season's Greetings Part 1 ~**_

At the Winter Showcase at NYADA, Rachel had felt her nerves take over her. Her stomach had twisted into a knot and she had thought that the moment she would go on stage, she would open her mouth and, instead of sing, she would probably projectile vomit all over the audience – which, of course, mostly consisted of the NYADA faculty.

That fear, that crazy anxiety induced thought, had lasted for six minutes. Because in those brief six minutes the brunette had thought about how hard she had been working her whole life for this. She had thought about how singing was her life, her dream, her one thing that no one could ever get away from her. Then all that fear had vanished.

However, she was experiencing a whole different situation right now.

After what seemed to be the third time she had tried the particular dress on – a tight fitting, single long-sleeved short dark blue dress – she kept looking at the mirror in her old bedroom, taking different poses, in her attempt to make up her mind on which of the seven dresses she had already tried on was the best option for a Christmas party at Puck's.

The ex-jock and fellow Glee-clubber was famous for his parties and this year's holidays wouldn't be the exception. His mom would leave the house to visit some relatives outside Lima and Puck saw it as an opportunity to have 'some' friends over.

The day before, on Christmas Eve, Rachel and Kurt had gone for a walk around town. They had spent the weekend with their families, catching up, sharing news, and they wanted to take a small break from all that overwhelming feeling that you need to share every single piece of information that your family might have missed during the time you were away. So they decided to fall back to their usual habits and familiar faces; a walk around the park with each other's company.

The roommates had went on and on about everything like they hadn't seen each other for weeks. When asked his opinion on what dress Rachel should wear at the party, Kurt had solely advised her to go with whatever shows more leg.

"_If I had your pair of these long sticks, I would go around all day with just my panties on." _He had added.

The small brunette checked herself in the mirror yet again. Hair? Check! Make-up? Check! Legs? Check!

She had finally made up her mind. The blue dress it was! Giving the final touch on her outfit she put on her high-heeled shoes and took a long deep breath.

That familiar anxiety feeling was back. The truth was it never left since she and Kurt decided to go back to Lima for the holidays. These last couple of days she had done everything to get her mind to relax a little bit; she had spent a lot of time with her dads – shopping, talking, singing, celebrating Hanukkah – but nothing seemed to work.

She was nervous about the party and she couldn't shake it off.

She was nervous about seeing Quinn again, to be exact.

The brunette had found out from Kurt that the blonde was indeed in town and that she would surely attend Puck's party. She wanted to talk to her, to apologize for her behavior on the morning after they had had sex. But she still had no clue whatsoever about what would go down between them. Her mind was filled with possible scenarios though; Quinn laughing at her, Quinn fainting, Quinn staring at her saying nothing at all, Quinn screaming that she hated her at her face, Quinn throwing a drink at her face. The possibilities were endless.

A buzzing sound brought her back from her hazed state.

It was Kurt.

**_I'm just getting in my car right now, Ms. Berry. Are you at Puck's already or still at home? Don't let me go in there alone or I'll thump your pretty little head in :P_**

Rachel smiled at her friend's insecurity. He had told her the day before that he couldn't deal with the whole Blaine thing and he wanted to go to the party with her. They were taking their own cars though, because he knew that he and his ex-boyfriend would want to talk privately at the end of the party, no matter how scared and confused he felt.

Rachel quickly composed a replying text, letting him know that she was on her way as well and that she would meet him outside Puck's house.

There was no time left for feeling nervous or sick or contemplating Quinn and hers nerve-wracking situation. She had no choice but to face it head-on when she had to.

_Showtime._

* * *

"Hey, Mrs. Fabray! Merry Christmas!"

"Hello, Santana! Merry Christmas to you too!" wished the middle-aged woman before giving the Latina a small hug.

Santana walked into the Fabray residence looking around curiously.

"Wow, it's been a while since I was last here." She said looking closely at the pictures on the wall. They were all of Quinn's, Judy's and Frannie's but only a couple of Russell Fabray's. _Good _she thought. _The fewer chances of having to see that bastard's face, the better._

A small framed sketch at the end of the wall caught her eye. It was Judy's portrait and it was made with charcoal.

"This is great. I've never seen it before. Who made it?" Santana asked curiously.

"My Quinnie, of course. Just before she left to go to Yale. She wanted to take it with her but I wanted it here to look at it every day, so she gave it to me and I had it framed. Isn't my baby girl talented?" Judy asked full of pride.

"Very! I didn't even know that Q liked to draw." Santana replied amazed.

"You don't know a lot about me." Sounded Quinn's voice from the top of the staircase.

Santana looked up to see her friend smile at her teasingly as she was climbing down the stairs. The blonde was wearing a short strapless dress and bright red high heeled pumps. Her hair was mussed and she was wearing a bright red lipstick to give that extra something to her whole outfit.

Judy's eyes filled with tears and wonder.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Quinnie."

Quinn rolled her eyes at her mother's tears – the woman had been crying constantly at every chance she got since she arrived on Saturday. When reproved for it Judy had admonished her by saying that she simply had missed her daughter and she had every right to be moved by her daughter's achievements, talent and beauty, like any loving mother would.

"Thank you, Mom. Please stop crying." The blonde pleaded flatly.

"I'm okay. There." She sniffled "I stopped."

"Thank God." Quinn muttered under her breath.

Santana looked amused.

"You do look great, Q. Your ass looks amazing in this dress!" she added.

"Santana!" the blonde raised her eyebrows and goggled at her friend. Judy Fabray was a woman who wasn't used to that kind of talking, however harmless it was.

"She's right, honey. Your bottom looks rather wonderful." Judy agreed and Santana looked pleased.

Quinn rolled her eyes again. One day they would get stuck at the back of her brain like her grandma used to warn, she was sure of it.

"Can we just go?" she started walking to the front door. "Bye, Mom!"

Santana smiled at the blonde's mother.

"It was nice to see you again, Mrs. F. Have a good one!"

"You too, dear! You girls have fun! And be careful!"

The two ex-Cheerios walked outside the blonde one's house.

"We're taking your car." Santana announced.

"Why?"

"'Cause Britts is gonna be there and I have a feeling I might drink a little too much." The Latina explained.

"I see. Okay, let's go with mine. But don't think for a second that I won't find the roughest punishment for you if you throw up in my car on the way back." The blonde warned.

"Oooohhh, you're getting me hot, Fabray. You know I like it rough."

"Shut up…" Quinn said failing to hide her amusement at her friend's comment.

They started walking to the blonde's car.

"I'm serious. First, you show up with your ass looking like that. Then the promise of a rough punishment. Wanky!" the Latina teased.

"Ha! Ha!" Quinn faked and closed the driver's door of her car.

"Seriously though, the Dwarf is gonna flip!"

Quinn felt her heart rate pick up.

"How do you mean?" she asked cautiously. "And please don't call her that. I thought we were past that."

"No, _you_ were. And I mean that she's definitely gonna _appreciate _your wardrobe choice, Q. She's gonna look at your sweet ass and think _I tapped that?!. _Trust me."

Quinn felt her stomach flutter.

"First of all, stop talking about my ass getting tapped. Second of all, we talked about it. She's not like that. She's straight and she thinks it's a mistake. We both do! And last but not least, I don't care what Rachel thinks of my wardrobe choice or my ass for that matter."

Santana shook her head as the blonde pulled out the driveway.

"Yeah yeah. _I know. _That's why we have been talking about what happened between you two nonstop, or that's why it took you four fucking hours to decide what to wear tonight."

"Whatever." Quinn blushed. "I just wanted to look good for the party. It's Christmas."

"Mmmhmm." Santana added teasingly.

Quinn was feeling more and more anxious as she was driving to Puck's house.

* * *

The sound of laughter and music could be heard from anywhere on Puck's street. His house was filled with people; it seemed like the whole school was there. Most of last year's graduates were there, varying from ex-jocks to ex-cheerleaders. A lot of McKinley's current students were there, as well. And of course, the Glee Club. The old gang with the addition of the new members of the club were all hanging out in the living room. Some were dancing, some were singing, some were catching up with each other.

When Rachel and Kurt had arrived at the party they were greeted by a very happy Noah Puckerman.

"Well, if it isn't my little Jewish Princess and Kurt freaking Hummel! Looking good, babe" Puck had said looking up and down Rachel's body.

"Hello, Noah! Happy Hanukkah!" the small brunette had said giving him the warmest of smiles and a small hug.

"Good evening, Puck! How's it going?" Kurt had added smiling at the boy.

"All good with the Puckmeister. I missed you guys!"

"We missed you, too." Rachel said walking further inside the house.

"Well, you know the drill. Take off your coats, pour yourselves a drink and have fun. Almost everyone is here. Talk to you later." he added and looked behind them at a couple of Juniors who were already intoxicated from what it seemed. He smiled at them and approached the girls with his game face on.

Rachel and Kurt had missed their friend indeed.

They both went upstairs, took off their coats and left them in Puck's mother's bedroom. They were both feeling quite nervous. It had been a while since they had last been at one of Puck's parties. It had been a while since they had last seen their friends. Both of their exes would be there, so that would make it rather awkward. But they had promised each other to not let that spoil their night.

And, of course, Quinn would be there.

Rachel felt her stomach flutter at that thought.

They both took deep breaths, calming their nerves, and went back downstairs. The house was packed. Music blasting from the speakers, the raucous of laughter and loud conversations evident from anywhere inside and outside the place.

As soon as they entered the living room, their presence was announced immediately by their old friends.

"Hey, guys! You're here!" Tina exclaimed before rushing to them and giving them both a tight hug.

"Merry Christmas, guys!" Rachel and Kurt said happily hugging and greeting the girl as well as the rest of the gang.

Artie, Mercedes, Brittany, Mike, Sam, Blaine and Finn all took turns to welcome the two New Yorkers.

"Hello, Finn. How are you?" Rachel asked her ex-boyfriend.

"I'm good, Rach. How are you?" he replied looking down. "Happy Hanukkah."

_Amazing. He remembers that I'm Jewish. _

_"_I'm great, Finn. Thank you. Merry Christmas."

Right beside her she overheard her roommate exchange pleasantries with his own ex-boyfriend.

"This is so great." Mercedes stated enthusiastically. "Santana and Quinn will be here any minute now and we're all gonna be officially together again!"

"Ha yeah..." the small diva feeling increasingly nervous.

Seeing Finn again was definitely stressful but seeing the blonde again was what caused the majority of her anxiety.

"Speak of the devil...hey sexy girls!" Mercedes yelled looking behind Rachel.

"Hey you!"

Rachel froze.

_That voice._

_"_What's up, girl? I missed you!" Mercedes said as she pulled Quinn to a hug.

Rachel had to turn around. She couldn't just stand there and avoid looking at the blonde all night.

"I missed you, too." she heard Quinn say.

"What about me, Aretha? Didn't you miss me?" Santana teased.

"Of course I did, S! Come here!" and pulled Santana into the hug as well.

Rachel's body, with a mind of its own, started to turn around slowly. Or so she thought. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Her ears were ringing and she could feel the blood pumping in her veins.

She disregarded Kurt's odd look at her and turned around fully to look at the newly arrived guests, only to feel her breath get caught up in her throat.

_Fuck._

Quinn was standing there smiling at Mercedes and everyone else in the room, stealing glances at Rachel. She looked ravishing.

The brunette felt her mouth go dry.

_Get it together._

Santana, who was watching both girls' reactions, was smiling cheekily looking very amused.

"Hey everybody." Quinn greeted as she walked further in the living room. "Merry Christmas!"

"Hey Q! Hey S! Merry Christmas!"

Everyone greeted the ex-Cheerios enthusiastically.

Well, all except for Rachel who was still standing frozen.

_Wake up! Move! Speak!_

"Hey, Berry! Looking hot!" Santana praised.

That seemed to wake her up from her stupor.

"Hello, Santana! Nice to see you again!" the brunette managed still quite shocked.

"Are you okay, Berrylicious? You're looking a little flushed!"

Santana was having so much fun.

Rachel felt her cheeks turn a deeper shade of red.

"I'm perfect!"

"I wouldn't go as far as perfect, but you surely look amazing...for a Hobbit, I mean. Doesn't she look amazing Q?" the Latina asked when she realized that her friend had finished exchanging pleasantries and holiday wishes with everyone else but the small diva.

Quinn looked shell-shocked. She was blushing furiously and considered struggling her friend in front of the whole party. Or maybe run her over with her car. She couldn't decide.

"H-Hey, Rach." she cleared her throat. "Happy Hanukkah."

_She remembers?_

"Hello, Quinn. Merry Christmas." the brunette muttered shyly.

"Well? Doesn't she?" Santana, who was standing between them, insisted.

Quinn found herself goggling at soon to be ex best friend.

_Maybe I could beat her to death._

The blonde turned to look at her one-time lover to find the girl looking down at her shoes.

"She looks great, San." she said through gritted teeth.

Rachel, surprised by the taller girl's answer, looked up and smiled at her shyly.

"Thank you, Quinn. You look beautiful yourself."

The blonde felt her cheeks blush at that. She was used to Rachel's compliments - the girl would never shy away from letting her know how beautiful she thought she was. But this was different.

"Thank you." she muttered almost inaudibly.

Santana, who exchanged a strange look with Kurt, sighed content.

"Imma get my hot ass a drink. Want anything, Q?" she asked.

"Um yeah. I'll come with." Quinn replied. She smiled awkwardly at the brunette and made a beeline for the kitchen.

Rachel watched as the blonde left the room and let out a breath.

"Rachel?" she heard Kurt ask.

"Hmm?"

"What the hell was that?"

* * *

"_What the hell was that, Santana?" _Quinn asked enraged. She wanted to yell at her friend but couldn't help but whisper harshly. Puck's house was too crowded.

"What? What did I do?" the Latina was looking around the table where all the liquor was, opening up different bottles and smelling the liquid in them. She had just opened a bottle of Butterscotch schnapps and instantly made a disgusted face. "Wow, this smells exactly like my grandmother."

"You _know_ what you did! Why the hell would you do that to me?"

"Calm yo tits, Q. It wasn't a big deal. Berry looked hot. We just let her know." Santana retorted unphazed.

"You're impossible! You know that?" the blonde exclaimed exasperated before exiting the kitchen with a glass of white wine in her hand.

"Oh I do know." the Latina replied knowing that her friend couldn't possibly hear her.

* * *

"_You had sex with Quinn?!" _Kurt felt like he was dreaming.

"Would you lower your voice?" Rachel pleaded. They were in the upstairs bathroom but anyone passing by the door could easily hear them.

"I mean that's just...ugh! There are _no _words."

Rachel nodded in agreement and understanding.

"I knew something was off but I thought that you two maybe had a fight before she left New York or that something was wrong with you and Brody. I didn't press the matter. I knew that if you wanted to talk to me about it, you would in your own time." the boy was shocked. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

Rachel felt bad. It wasn't that she didn't trust Kurt; it was just that she was so damn confused about the whole situation that she couldn't find the words to announce something like that.

"I wanted to, but I couldn't. I've been going crazy, Kurt! I'm so sorry I didn't tell you." replied the brunette apologetically.

Kurt sighed. He understood. Something like that was not easy to just come right out and say it to someone.

"It's okay, I get it." he said rubbing her arms to calm his friend and himself at the same time. "I bet Santana knows. That look she gave me. Or you! She definitely knows."

"Shit. I don't know what to do, Kurt." Rachel let her head hang and her forehead lay on the boy's shoulder.

"Everything is going to be fine, Rachel Berry. Don't worry. Just stay calm. Talk to her."

Rachel raised her head abruptly giving herself a head-rush. She steadied herself grabbing the sink and stared at her roommate. "And what in the name of sweet Barbra should I say to her? You saw how awkward it was before."

"Apologize to her. That's what you told me you want to do, right? So stop being a coward and confront the girl!"

"Ugh! This is more frustrating than that time I was voice-coaching Finn and tried to get him to reach that high note." the brunette folded her arms in front of her chest and frowned.

"I know, I know." Kurt patted her at her back while rolling his eyes.

Suddenly, he realised something.

"Does that mean you're gay?" he asked with bulging eyes.

Rachel shrugged.

"I dunno. Maybe bisexual? I'm still attracted to guys."

"So you're attracted to girls as well." he looked at her questioningly.

"I guess so. Yeah. This is all quite new to me, you know."

"I _knew _you were checking all these girls out. I thought I was imagining things!" Kurt sighed relieved.

"Wow. You and Quinn had sex. Ha! This is just...unbelievable!" he looked amazed.

"I'm glad my utterly confusing and nerve-wracking situation amuses you." Rachel stated flatly.

"Oh come on! Get over it! You're both adults for crying out loud."

"I know, Kurt! But still..."

"I know, I know! Wow...who knew?" Kurt still looked amazed shaking his head.

"I loathe you." and with a roll of her eyes she was out the door.

* * *

The party was a hit. People were dancing everywhere inside the house. Others were singing - most of them off-key, others were playing games - Puck had already declared himself as the King of Beer pong, others were making out, hidden in corners and others were sitting around the house talking to each other.

Rachel was sitting on the couch next to Kurt and Tina while they were exchanging "war stories" from their academic year so far.

On the opposite side, Quinn was resting in an armchair with Santana on her right sitting on the armrest. The Latina had gone on and on complaining about Brittany who was definitely avoiding her all night long.

"Look at her, Q. Dancing with everyone except for me." she huffed before taking a sip from her drink.

"You broke up with her, Santana. She can do whatever she wants." Quinn admonished before stealing a glance at a certain brunette who was laughing out loud at something her and her company had said.

_God she looks amazing._

"It doesn't matter. She knows I love her. Why is she avoiding me?" Santana asked feeling jealous.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'cause nothing says 'I love you' like a good ol' break-up! Get your head out of your ass, San!"

"You don't know what you're talking about. we _had to _break-up. I wasn't good enough for her anymore."

"Says who? 'Cause Britt surely never said anything like that! And don't kid yourself, San. There are no 'have to's in relationships. Only 'want's and 'need's. You could work it out. You love each other." Quinn soothed her friend.

"Yeah, well...you suck!" Santana replied. She wanted to whine and complain and the blonde was in her way.

"Whatever." Quinn felt a pair of eyes looking at her and turned her head, only to find a beautiful brunette stare at her. Their eyes met and both felt their heart beat a little faster. Rachel averted her eyes and focused on a story Tine was now telling them. Mike had joined them and was watching his girlfriend proudly.

Quinn was mesmerized. She couldn't stop staring at the diva.

"Hey, Quinn." she heard Santana call her right next to her.

"Hmm? What?" she asked absentmindedly.

The Latina leaned in the blonde and whispered in her ear. "_Your gay is showing."_

That woke her up.

"Screw you, Santana." she said harshly and got up. She needed a refill.

In the kitchen she was standing in front of the opened fridge looking for a chilled bottle of white wine. She needed alcohol and she needed it now.

She felt a presence near her and her body tensed immediately. Still leaning in the fridge, she heard a throat clearing.

"Hey."

Quinn's stomach twisted into a knot. _Shit shit shit._

Retrieving the wine, she closed the fridge door and replied.

"Hey, Rachel."

The brunette was leaning on the wall with her arms folded in front of her chest.

_Defense mechanism _the blonde thought. _She's either pissed or nervous._

"Can we talk?" the diva asked gently.

It was time for Quinn's defense mechanism to kick in.

* * *

**_Part 2 coming up really soon. Maybe tonight or tomorrow._**


	6. Season's Greetings Part 2

_**As promised, the second part of Chapter Five is here. I hope you all like it.**_

_**polux: Thank you so much for your reviews. I have a lot in store for those two ;) I just hope I won't disappoint all of you reading this story.**_

_**Minnie: I laughed out loud when I read your review. I'm indeed in the Eastern European Time zone, but I'm not Russian. My name comes from Anastasia which is a Christian name and I'm actually from Greece. :)**_

_**Please forgive me for any mistakes. Still looking for a beta. Anyone interested?**_

_**I do NOT own Glee or its characters. I own a lot of gadgets though. It's kind of an obsession really.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Tumblr: frauleinnatashatheworldismin e**_

* * *

_**~ Chapter 5 – Season's Greetings Part 2 ~**_

There had been many times in Quinn's life where she had been put in a difficult position. Either by someone else or herself. Her mother had taught her to deal with such predicaments with grace; she was a Fabray after all.

"_If you can't give any answers, find a way around it and leave gracefully with your head held high." _Judy had said.

Quinn wondered how the hell she would _fabray _herself out of this.

"Quinn?"

"Hmm?"

Rachel unfolded her arms and stood straight. "I asked you if we could talk?" she repeated hesitantly.

Quinn walked to the kitchen table trying to find a new cup for her to use. She was fumbling with the bottles on it, trying to hide her slightly trembling hands.

"What do you want to talk about, Rach?" she asked nonchalantly. _Do not make eye contact._

Rachel sighed.

"Umm…about…you know." She half-answered.

"No, I really don't." _Way to go! This could go on forever. _

"About us, Quinn." The brunette enlightened, feeling a bit edgy.

The taller girl almost dropped the bottle of vodka she had been inspecting. _Us? What the hell?_

"Us?" she asked raising her eyebrows, faking confidence and never making eye contact.

"I mean…" Rachel cleared her throat "…what happened between us?"

_Fuck. What do I do? What do I do?_

"Now? You want to talk about it _now?"_

"Well, I thought…"

"Now you want to talk about it? Well, there's no need actually. I'll make it really easy for you, Rachel." Quinn answered calmly, pouring some wine in a new plastic cup that she had found. "Nothing happened between us."

Rachel was taken aback by the blonde's answer. She knew she had screwed up that morning, she had expected Quinn would call her on it. What she didn't expect was denial. She wouldn't even look at her. The brunette suddenly felt a pang of hurt and anger inside her body.

"Damn it Quinn, would you look at me?!" she asked harshly, her anger evident in her voice.

Quinn turned to look at her abruptly the moment she heard Rachel's tone, as if she was on automatic. She locked eyes with the shorter girl. Brown orbs were on fire. She could see she was furious. But it wasn't just that. There was something else there. Something she couldn't put her finger on.

"Congratulations." The blonde blurted without thinking.

Silence.

"Huh?" Rachel managed, unable to look away from hazel eyes.

"On your win? At the Winter Showcase thing? Congratulations." Quinn clarified.

"Umm…thank you." Rachel breathed.

"You deserved it." The blonde added before leaving the kitchen and a shocked brunette.

_What the hell just happened? Where did _that _come from? _Rachel wondered.

"Hey!" she hurried turning around but the blonde was gone.

"Damn it, Quinn!" she muttered through gritted teeth.

After a while, most of the people had left the party. Most of them were so intoxicated that Puck almost kicked them out of his house before they had the chance to vomit. He was not going to clean up after that kind of mess.

As expected, the Glee Club members were the only ones still at the party. They were still all hanging out at the living room, sprawled on the floor, on the couch and armchairs.

After their brief encounter in the kitchen, Rachel had tried to get Quinn to look at her. The blonde was still avoiding her. After a couple of drinks, the diva was feeling compelled to get Quinn to talk to her. She still needed to apologize. She needed to go somewhere private with her and try again.

But Quinn wouldn't look at her.

"How about a game of Never-have-I-Ever?" she heard Artie say to the group, startling her from her thoughts.

Everybody agreed happily in unison. Well, almost everybody. Puck wanted to play Spin-The-Bottle. And Rachel had her eyes fixed at the blonde who was now laughing sincerely at something Santana said.

She felt someone elbow her at her side. "Wake up, Princess!" Kurt teased.

"Ow Kurt!" she slapped his arm faking hurt.

"Drama queen." He said sticking his tongue out.

"You love me."

"Unfortunately, I do."

"Come on everybody, gather round!" Mike told the group handing them shots.

Rachel cringed at the sight of shots. She automatically looked at Quinn who was holding the shot glass as if it was a foreign object and was looking at her as well. As soon as their eyes met, the blonde averted her eyes.

Rachel sighed disappointed.

"Alright, let's begin!" she announced with vigor, earning a few surprised looks around the group.

"Ok, I'll go first!" they heard Mercedes say. "Never have I ever…gotten drunk."

They all laughed. They knew the answer to that.

"Hear, hear!" Rachel exclaimed raising her shot glass and she downed the shot. Kurt was smiling at her amused.

"Okay, I'll go next." Said Mike. "Never have I ever danced around naked in my house."

Tina was blushing.

Mike, Puck, Brittany and Rachel drank from their shot glass.

Kurt looked at his roommate and gasped. "What? When?"

Rachel shrugged and added nonchalantly "You were at work."

That earned a few laughs from the group.

Quinn was squirming in the armchair she was sitting in.

"Okay, never have I ever…" Artie paused to think "…had phone sex."

Puck, Santana, Brittany, Mike and Tina drank from their glasses.

"Oooohh" everybody else teased.

Quinn was looking between Santana and Brittany and, shaking her head, she was laughing heartedly.

She was so amused by the pair's reactions but angry with them at the same time. They were obviously still in love but they weren't together anymore. _Stupid Santana._

"Never have I ever…" Quinn rushed to get her turn "…fallen in love with my best friend."

Santana stared directly at Brittany. Brittany turned to look at her as well and they both looked down.

After a breath, Kurt, Blaine, Brittany and Santana downed their shots.

Everyone in the group smiled in understanding.

"I noticed some of you haven't had a drink yet, so here's one from the Puckmeister." Puck announced tried to lighten the mood. "Never have I ever had sex."

They all laughed and drank their shots.

"Never have I ever watched my cat have sex with a turtle."

The whole group turned to look at Brittany confused.

"I think Lord Tubbington may be confused." The blonde added before drinking her shot.

Santana smiled at her lovingly.

Rachel was watching the exchange and felt happy for them. She could see the love there. Her eyes landed on Quinn who was doing the same thing.

"Okay, I have one." Rachel offered. "Never have I ever had a sex dream."

Laughter sounded in the living room.

"Come on, Rachel. Everybody's had them." Tina said smiling.

"Alright, I'll rephrase." The brunette added. "Never have I ever had a sex dream about someone in the group."

"Ooohh" could be heard from almost everyone.

Rachel kept calm and stole a glance at Quinn. The blonde was staring at her. She looked panicked.

The diva smiled cheekily and drank from her shot glass.

Quinn gulped audibly. Her eyes blurred, her ears were ringing. She was certain her face looked flushed.

She downed her shot. _Fuck…_

"You okay there, Q?" Santana asked her.

"Mmm?"

"I see. Smooth, Fabray." She teased looking at her and Rachel.

Quinn looked back at her angrily. "Shut up" she muttered.

"Alright, I'm next." The Latina announced at the group. Quinn felt fear run through her. _This is not gonna be good._

"Never have I ever…" Santana eyed Rachel and Quinn "…had sex with a girl."

The Latina watched extremely amused as her best friend quickly glanced at Rachel, both blushing furiously. Santana, Brittany, Puck, Mike, Artie and Finn downed their shots.

Quinn and Rachel had found a new interest in their shoes.

"Pussies" Santana whispered in Quinn's ear.

The blonde faked a small laughter and looked menacingly in her friend's eyes "I hope you know I'm going to get back at you for that." She patted the Latina's knee.

"Ooooh, I'm so scared, Q!" Santana faked. But soon enough she let out a small squeal as she felt her friend's grip tighten around her knee.

A few more rounds and a lot of whining from Puck's part, the group decided to change the game and play some good old-fashioned Spin-The-Bottle.

"Aren't we a little too old for this?" Rachel asked raising her eyebrows.

She was a tad hesitant. The moment the new game was suggested one certain thought had filled her mind.

What if she were to kiss Quinn?

Her heart was beating a beat faster, her stomach was fluttering.

She did want to get the blonde's attention in order to get her to talk to her. She did want to break Quinn's defenses to get her not to avoid her anymore.

But was kissing her the way?

_Quinn's lips on mine. Shit._

The brunette was blushing more than ever.

"I agree."

_That raspy voice._

She looked over at Quinn. The blonde seemed to be having her own internal debate with herself, as well.

"Oh come on, guys. You're never too old for this game!" Mercedes offered.

Everyone except for Rachel and Quinn was already sitting on the floor forming a circle.

Both girls avoided looking at each other and sat down defeated.

_This is going to be hell._

Puck had brought an empty tequila bottle from the kitchen. "Ladies, prepare to be amazed by my talented mouth."

"Gross, Puckerman."

"Wait, what if you get a guy. Do you kiss him?" Tina asked.

"What? Hell no!" Puck yelled.

Blaine, Kurt and the girls rolled their eyes.

"No offense, guys, but I just don't swing that way." Puck added apologetically for his previous tone.

"What if a girl gets a girl?" Mercedes asked, already knowing the answer.

Multiple 'Oh yeah's were heard from almost every guy in the group.

"I'm counting on that." Puck answered sincerely.

"Firstly, you're a pig." Mercedes informed. "Secondly, you can't have it both ways. Either you guys agree to both sex smooches or you don't."

They boys exchanged side looks with each other and after a moment they agreed defeated.

The girls were laughing out loud at their reactions.

"Please, Lord. Let Puckerman kiss Finn." Mercedes teased faking prayer.

The two boys exchanged disgusted looks with each other, causing everyone to burst into a new outburst of laughter.

"Let the games begin!" Tina said happily taking the first turn to spin the bottle. It stopped, pointing to Kurt's direction. They both laughed and met halfway to give each other a peck on the lips.

Mercedes was next. She smiled shyly when she got to kiss Sam.

Blaine spun the bottle next. It landed into Brittany's direction. Santana's body immediately tensed, wanting to smack the boy, but felt herself calm down when Quinn squeezed her knee knowingly.

Quinn was next. She had dreaded that moment. Her mind was filled with '_What if'_s. Palms sweaty, she spun the bottle and before it stopped spinning, she noticed Rachel watching intently.

The blonde felt relieved. "Come here, baby mama." She heard Puck say and rolled her eyes.

They met halfway and gave a small kiss before she warned him "Don't call me that."

They both smiled and went back to their seats on the floor.

What Quinn never noticed was a certain brunette who was glaring at her, feeling a sharp pang of jealousy.

Finn's turn was next. He wiped his hands on the sides of his jeans and spun the bottle.

A roar of laughter filled the house when two pairs of shell-shocked eyes met.

"No way! I'm not kissing Sam!" they heard Finn say.

"I agree." The blonde added.

"No, no, no, none of that!" Mercedes chastised between laughs. "Rules are rules. Now kiss!"

"Oh man" Sam muttered under his breath.

With great hesitation the two ex-jocks met halfway. With eyes fiercely shut they pursed their lips and kissed for half a second.

Everybody else 'aw'ed teasingly as the boys were wiping their mouths.

"Sexy." Blaine added tongue in cheek. Kurt laughed heartedly.

"Alright, bitches. Let me show you how it's done." Santana announced.

Half the group rolled their eyes.

She took her turn and spun the bottle. Quinn was laughing with Mercedes about Finn's kiss when she noticed the look of horror on Rachel's face.

Her laughter died down when she saw the bottle pointing to the brunette. She automatically turned to look at Santana. The Latina was giving her a half amused-half apologetic look. She turned her head to look at Rachel again. The diva was shaking her head, her eyes bulging out.

"No way, I'm not kissing Satan."

"Oh come on, Rachel. Don't ruin it."

"You should do it. San's a great kisser." Brittany offered.

"Thank you, Britt-Britt." The Latina smiled and looked between Rachel and Quinn. "Come on, Berry. Believe me, you wants to taste this." She added before winking at Quinn.

The blonde could feel her blood boiling inside her veins. She was breathing heavily, trying to fight the urge to tackle her friend.

Rachel took a deep breath and approached the center of the circle the group had formed. She glanced at Quinn who was sitting uncomfortably. Santana looked at her and smirked.

"Relax" she whispered for only Rachel to hear.

Rachel smiled nervously and came closer. The brunettes closed their eyes and connected their lips. It lasted for a second or two. When Santana opened her eyes she saw the diva look elsewhere. She turned around to figure out where exactly, only to confirm what she already knew. Rachel was looking at Quinn shyly. The blonde, on the other hand, had another kind of look. She was staring at the floor fumbling angrily with her plastic cup.

_Jesus fucking Christ _the Latina thought and rolled her eyes.

Rachel cleared her throat and sat back on her seat on the floor next to Kurt, who had raised his eyebrow teasing her.

"That was hot." Brittany and Artie said at the same time, causing the gang to throw yet another fit of laughter.

Santana sat back next to Quinn and whispered to the blonde "_Breathe, Q."_

Quinn goggled at her angrily.

"Why the fuck should I _breathe? _I'm fine."

"Clearly." The Latina muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Excuse me" they heard Rachel say gently. The small diva had stood up. "I need to use the bathroom." She informed almost inaudibly and left the room.

Quinn was watching her intently. She felt angry. At what she wasn't sure. At Santana, probably. At Rachel. _Get a grip, Quinn! It's just a game!_

She let out a long breath, stifling the sound of the rest of the group. They were still playing.

Watching Rachel and Santana kiss had made her feel furious. Her blood was pumping and she thought that her eyes would bulge out of their sockets. _Why the hell did that make me feel that way? Why do I even care?_

She felt more confused than ever. She felt like she couldn't breathe. The room was spinning. She had to get out of there.

"Hey, S. Can you find another ride back? I have to leave."

"What the fuck, Q? _It was just a kiss…during a stupid game." _She whispered for only the blonde to hear.

"No, it's not that. It's just that I feel tired and I think those shots kind of got to me a little."

"Are you okay to drive, though?" the Latina asked feeling concerned.

"Yeah, sure. I'm just feeling a little tired is all." Quinn explained.

"Alright, don't worry. I'll get Britt to drive me back and I'll come over tomorrow to get my car from your place."

"Okay, thanks." The blonde said before she got up and thanked everyone for a great night. She said her quick goodbyes – she didn't want to run into Rachel on her way out so she needed to be fast – and before long she was out the door. She took a deep breath letting the cold air inside her lungs and walked to her car.

* * *

When Rachel was trudging down the stairs she was feeling a lot calmer than before. After she had kissed Santana, she felt like she needed some air. Of course, she couldn't say that to the rest of the group giving them the wrong idea, so she excused herself to the bathroom. She had carefully splashed some cold water on her face, trying not to ruin her make-up and took a series of deep breaths. She hadn't been panicking about kissing Santana; she couldn't care less, for that matter. It was Quinn's reaction that had gotten to her. The blonde had looked like she was seething. She had avoided looking at the two of them kiss. That alone was enough to confuse Rachel.

What was the blonde thinking? What did she want? _At first, she avoids talking to me about what happened between us – Well, I kind of had that coming, _Rachel admitted to herself_ – and then she gets angry with me kissing Santana at a stupid game? What the hell is going on?_

Rachel entered the living room where everyone else was still sitting, laughing at some sex pun Puck had just made.

"Hey, Rach." Kurt motioned for her to sit down. "I need to ask you something, although I kind of got your approval without asking you, nevertheless, I'm still asking you…although everyone else has already agreed…"

Rachel was not listening. Something was wrong.

"Where's Quinn?" she asked gently looking at Kurt, interrupting him.

The boy looked at her strangely.

"Umm, she just left. So what do you say?"

"Why did she leave?" the brunette couldn't help but feel a little hurt that the girl had left without saying goodbye.

"She was tired." Kurt explained quickly. "Will you finally tell me what you think?"

"About what?" she asked knitting her eyebrows together. She really hadn't heard anything her friend had just said.

"I just said that I kind of had this idea of hosting a New Year's Eve party at our loft back in NYC and I also kind of invited everyone and everyone has already agreed."

"Yeah, sure. It's a great idea, actually."

"I know! It's going to be great! New Year's in New York City for the first time, all of our friends will be there. It's going to be marvelous!" Kurt had this far-off look. It was obvious that the small boy was already planning the party.

Rachel looked at him and smiled. Sometimes she felt so lucky to have him as a friend.

The night went on with nothing eventful happening. The gang just kept talking, sharing stories, teasing each other. They had missed being together as they once were, before graduation, so much.

After a while, they all got up from the floor and started bidding each other goodbye. It would be a little while until they would see each other again, but it wouldn't be that much.

Finn and Sam stayed back at Puck's to help him clean the house and everyone else slipped into the cars parked outside the boy's house to get back home. Mike drove Tina and Artie, Mercedes rode with Sam, Blaine with Kurt and Rachel went back home by herself.

On her way back, she didn't even bother to turn on the radio. It was a short drive home and she spent it thinking about what had happened. She couldn't help but feel disappointed that she didn't get the chance to apologize to Quinn. She couldn't help but feel hurt that the blonde had left that way, that she had avoided her. She couldn't help but wonder what the true reason behind her reaction to her kiss with Santana was.

_Ugh! Guys are right. Women are so confusing!_

She laughed at her own thoughts. Who knew that she would ever come to this? Obsessing about a girl. About Quinn. Surely, she had obsessed about her before, but for entirely different reasons.

Rachel let those memories pass by her as she pulled in her driveway. She took her key out of the ignition and got out of her car.

_What a long night!_

As she was closing her car door she saw a flash of light at the corner of her eye. She turned around and saw a car flickering the headlights. She looked around, registering the darkness as well as the fact that she was alone and a sense of dear took over her.

She backtracked in the direction of her front door, considering making a run for it.

She heard the door of the unfamiliar car open and she started to tremble.

"_Rachel?" _she heard her name being whispered harshly.

She knitted her brows in confusion.

"Who's there?" she asked terrified with a trembling voice. They so needed more streetlamps.

"Hey." The blonde emerged from the shadows.

"Quinn! What the fuck!" the brunette stomped her foot on the ground and placed her right hand on her heart feeling scared and relieved at the same time.

Quinn was looking at her shocked, not used to Rachel swearing like that.

It was a welcome change.

"I'm sorry I scared you." She apologized honestly.

"You didn't just scare me! I am not going to look good with silver hair at this age, Quinn!"

The blonde sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry. You weren't picking your phone so I drove here."

"Why were you calling me?" the brunette asked curiously.

"I'll tell you." Quinn assured her stuffing her hands in the pockets of her coat. "Would you mind getting in my car first 'cause it's freezing cold out here?"

Rachel looked at her confused.

"Yeah, sure."

They both walked to Quinn's car and got in. The brunette was admiring the interior; she had never been in the girl's car before. That's when a thought came to mind.

"How was I supposed to know that it was your car, Quinn? I have never been in it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I didn't think about that." The blonde answered feeling a little guilty that she had frightened the diva.

"So…why are you here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Please don't start deflecting again. You're outside my house, Quinn." Rachel pleaded. She was growing tired of the blonde's swerving. Sure, she had started it, but that didn't matter. Right?

"What did you want to talk about?" Quinn blurted out.

"Huh? When?" the brunette was even more confused.

"At Puck's. You wanted to talk. So talk!"

"Umm…I told you." Rachel was taken aback. The blonde seemed surprisingly eager and that made her more nervous than she already was. "I wanted to talk about what happened between us."

"Alright. So talk." Quinn was looking at her like she was expecting to hear a speech.

"Umm…okay" Rachel started. "I wanted to apologize."

"About what?"

"About dismissing you? When you told me that we needed to talk about what had happened." The brunette tried. She wasn't prepared at all to have this conversation right now. She had thought that it would be a long while until she could have another chance at talking to the blonde. "You were right." She continued. "We did need to talk about it and I avoided it and for that, I am deeply sorry."

Quinn was staring at her, not moving a muscle, not saying a word.

"I know it was immature of me, but I realized that soon enough. That's why I tried to talk to you at the party. I reckon we could still talk about it now? If you want to, I mean." She offered with slight but evident hesitation.

Quinn was still staring at her but this time she sighed deeply.

"I guess we can talk about it now." The blonde said.

"Great." Rachel smiled nervously. She secretly hoped that wouldn't happen right now. She had no idea what to say.

"Okay…" she went on to take a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. "…so, we had sex." She blurted.

_Way to go._

Quinn was astonished by the bluntness of the statement.

"Yes, we did." She agreed.

"Obviously, it was a mistake." Rachel stated feeling uneasy but hiding it quite well.

"Obviously." Quinn bit back.

They smiled awkwardly and bitterly at each other not knowing how to proceed with their conversation.

"Why is it obvious to you?" Rachel asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

_WHAT?_

"Why is it obvious to _you_?"

_Think think think think._

"Well, obviously because I have Brody." Rachel mentally shook her head in disappointment at her own self.

Quinn on the other hand felt a pang of hurt inside her chest. "I thought you weren't together." She remembered.

"Umm…we're not! But we will be…I think. We've talked about it. We're getting there."

That didn't make Quinn feel any better.

"So why is it obvious to you, Quinn?"

"Because of David!" Quinn blurted out yet again.

Rachel backed up in her seat and tilted her head in confusion.

"Who's David?"

_Shit. _

"My boyfriend." The blonde was now looking down. "I cheated on him with you."

"You have a boyfriend?!" Rachel shouted indignant.

"He's a professor at Yale." Quinn muttered.

"Why didn't you tell me, Quinn?" the brunette was furious.

"I didn't get the chance, okay?"

"When? The two days that we spent together? Yeah sure, how could you get the chance?" Rachel bit back sarcastically.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Quinn yelled back. It was her turn to get angry. _Why the fuck is she angry with me? _"You said it yourself, it was a mistake! You have Brody, the soon-to-be-boyfriend!"

"And you have the professor!" Rachel shouted.

Quinn wondered for a moment if she should mention that she had broken up with him.

"Why are you so mad?" she asked.

"What?"

"Why are you so mad about David? Is it because I didn't tell you or is it because you're jealous?"

Rachel's breath was caught in her throat. Her brown eyes bulged out.

"Why would I be jealous?" she faked.

"You tell me."

Rachel closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Quinn, I am not jealous. It is just new information and that is all. Look, I think we reached the end of our little discussion. We both agree it was a mistake. Regardless of David or Brody, you're straight…"

"As opposed to you?" Quinn interrupted her feeling more and more annoyed.

"I'm bisexual, Quinn."

The answer didn't seem to register with the blonde as she asked sarcastically, her angry tone evident "Oh yeah? Since when?"

"Since you!" Rachel blurted out, regretting it the moment it left her lips.

Quinn was sitting there staring at the brunette, frozen in her seat.

Rachel couldn't be there anymore. She needed to go. This was all so frustrating.

"I have to go." She announced and got out of the passenger seat.

Quinn was lost inside her head, hundreds of thoughts reeling in it. The sound of the door close woke her up from her stupor and she rushed out of the car and after the small diva who was now walking to the front door of her house.

She grabbed Rachel's arm and tugged at it, successfully turning the girl around to face her.

"You remember?" she asked never losing eye contact with the smaller girl in front of her.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"You said you're…bisexual…since me." Quinn explained. "So, you remember…what happened?"

Rachel couldn't breathe. Quinn was standing so close to her and staring at her eyes made her feel dizzy.

"I do." She breathed.

Quinn let a small, almost inaudible gasp escape her. She couldn't stop staring at those big brown orbs. She could feel the warmth of Rachel's body, drawing her even closer.

"Quinn? Do _you?" _

She couldn't think. Forming a single thought seemed like the most difficult task anyone would ever have to do right now. _Fuck she smells so good._

"Quinn?" Rachel repeated desperately.

"I remember." Quinn replied gently, eyes never leaving Rachel's. She let her now cold hand brush Rachel's.

They felt tingles right away. Electricity crackling around them. It was like this vast amount of energy was surrounding them both forming an undebatable bond which only pulled them closer to one another.

Rachel could feel Quinn's breath on her face and took in the scent of vanilla coming off of the blonde. Quinn felt her knees weaken and let her forehead fall gently on Rachel's in a desperate attempt to steady herself.

The moment she felt Rachel's hand graze and pull on hers she opened her eyes and stared into those piercing ones that she seemed to be getting addicted to.

Suddenly, a light behind Rachel disrupted the magnetic bubble which was formed around their trembling bodies. The brunette turned around and they both saw the light on her front porch was turned on and the door was opening slowly.

"Rachel?" sounded a gruff male voice.

Hiram was at the door wearing a robe, obviously just woken up. "What are you doing outside?" he sounded confused.

"It's alright, Daddy. I'm just talking to Quinn here. I'll be right there."

"Oh hey, Quinn. I didn't see you there. Well, if you want to talk, both of you come inside; it's freezing out here!" he said and closed the door.

Rachel turned around to look at Quinn.

"Do you…want to come in?" she asked hesitantly. She didn't know if she wanted her to herself.

Quinn thought for a second and smiled shyly at her.

"I think I'm gonna go." She answered feeling a little relieved. "Thank you though!"

"You're welcome." The brunette muttered.

"You'd better get inside. Your dad was right, it's freezing out here."

Rachel nodded feeling the cold now numb her face.

"Goodnight, Rach."

"Goodnight, Quinn."

Quinn climbed inside her car appreciating the change of temperature. She waited until the brunette was safely inside her house and turned on the ignition.

"Fuck me." She muttered under her breath before she pulled out and went on her way back home.

* * *

Pretty pretty please Read and Review. Tell me what you think.


	7. New York, New Year

**Hello, dear friends and readers. Thank you all for your reviews and follows. Every time I get an email letting me know of a new review/follow/favorite I do my happy dance! I assure you, it'snot pretty ;)**

**So, here is Chapter Seven, which is about the NYE party. Hope you all enjoy it!**

**I do not own Glee or its characters. I own lots of books though.**

**I'm going to update next week as always.**

**Merry Christmas to all of you! **

* * *

**~ Chapter 7 – New York, New Year ~**

Quinn loved her morning coffee. She loved to wake up every day and let the strong, delicious smell and taste of the hot brew fill her senses. It was the only way she could think of when it came to a proper waking-up.

Well, not the only way.

What she had grown accustomed to, though, since she had started her lessons at Yale, was a certain Sunday morning routine.

Every Sunday she would wake up in the morning, put on her sweats and trainers, go for a run around campus – there was no way she was backing out of a strict six-days-a-week exercise, she needed to maintain her physique – then she would hit the shower, put on some jeans, grab the Sunday newspaper and find a spot at her favorite coffee shop near her dorm.

Santana and some of her new friends at Yale had innocently made fun of her, claiming that reading the newspaper was archaic and something that only old people did, since anyone could read or hear about the news on the internet at this day and age.

But Quinn had shrugged them off; she didn't care. It was a habit of hers, a way to take the load off and no one could take that away from her. There was something about the feel of the cheap paper in her fingers, the smell of freshly printed paper combined with the fierce smell of coffee, the hint of ink smudged at the tips of her fingers, that had some rather relaxing effect on her.

This Sunday was no exception. Quinn had gone about her exercise routine, she had showered, put on some casual clothes and headed to the cafe around the corner from her dorm-house. After exchanging pleasantries with the barista and waitress – she was a regular after all - she had found a seat at the back corner near the side window of the cafe, overlooking at a small park and started reading the paper while sipping her Americano.

It was quiet. This was expected since almost everybody would stay out on Saturday nights and sleep until Sunday afternoon.

Quinn had done that herself a couple of times back when she had first started at Yale. But she had found her Sunday mornings were much more valuable.

After a while, feeling quite depressed about the news she had just read in the paper, she folded it closed and ordered another Americano. Sipping the hot liquid, lovingly holding the cup which was warming her hands, she found her mind wandering off.

It was wandering through dark wavy locks of hair, brown expressive eyes and sweet notes of a much appreciated voice. It was wandering through brief brushes of skin, warm breaths and the unmistakable smell of strawberries.

Quinn felt her whole body tense. She felt her heart rate pick up, her body temperature rise.

_What is she doing to me?_

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

It was the first time in her whole life that she had fought herself this much. Realizing she was attracted to girls was enough of a shock as it was.

Realizing she was attracted to Rachel fucking Berry was an entirely different situation.

There was no mistaking this time. She knew the truth. No need to hide from herself. She was attracted to Rachel.

_She...was attracted...to Rachel Berry! _

_How the fuck did this happen?_

No matter what had brought this _change_, the result remained the same.

And that was the fact that Quinn couldn't get Rachel out of her mind.

Almost kissing her at the night after Puck's party had brought on a hotpot of feelings and thoughts. A part of her wanted to run away and never mention anything to Rachel or anyone again, whereas another part of her wanted to go back and finish that almost-kiss. That was the annoying part that kept her awake at night wondering what would happen if she had. It was the absolutely frustrating, god-awful part that had her obsessing over whether Rachel was thinking about it as well.

_Fucking hell. _

She hated being like this. She was never supposed to be like that for anyone. Others would obsess like that _for her! _Not the other way round!

Another deep breath to calm her nerves. And another one.

She needed to call Santana.

She unlocked her phone, quickly dialed the number and waited till she heard her friend pick up the phone.

"_This better be good 'cause I surely ain't waking up at the break of dawn for something lame like existential thoughts or minor psychological crisis" _Santana's gruff from sleep voice came through the line.

"How do you feel about spending New Year's Eve with me?" Quinn asked hopeful, totally ignoring her friend's warnings and her own urge to let her know that it was almost noon.

A moment's pause and the Latina's voice was heard again.

"_What the fuck do you mean? We're going to Rachel and Kurt's, Q."_

"Fuck, Santana. I was kind of thinking...umm...maybe I won't make it."

Santana sighed at the other end of the line, clearly annoyed but willing to remain patient. "_Well, you can forget about it. 'Cause I'm going and I want you there with me. Plus, I don't want to spend New Year's Eve at Yale with just you – no offense. Britts is gonna be there, as well. And you know, since it's her place and all, Berry is gonna be there too. So why the fuck don't you wanna go?"_

"Ugh!" was Quinn's not so eloquent answer.

"_Wow, stop boring me with the details of your argument, Q._" Santana quipped sarcastically with a flat tone.

"It's just that..." Quinn started but found herself hesitating to finish her sentence.

"I_t's just what, Quinn?"_

"Santana..." Quinn took a deep breath again. _Wow this is hard!_

"...I think...umm...I _think _I'm...attracted to Rachel." she said almost whispering.

She thought years had gone by until she heard the Latina's voice again through the line.

"_Wow, Q.._." Santana said flatly and obviously bored "...I_ had no idea. What an amazingly shocking piece of new information. This is just_..." she trailed off munching on what sounded like an apple.

"S?"

"_What do you want me to say, Quinn? I'm not surprised, you know._" she explained.

"What do you mean? You knew?" the blonde asked feeling confused.

"_Well, except for the fact that you two weren't quite as stealthy as you thought you were at Puck's party with the looks and stuff, it was kinda expected, you know?"_

"I really don't." Quinn stated knitting her eyebrows.

Santana sighed.

"_Quinn, you have been obsessing over the Dwarf since sophomore year back in High School._"

The blonde opened her mouth to disagree but was quickly interrupted by her friend, who had obviously anticipated her reaction.

"_I don' t mean obsession as in sexual obsession. But an obsession is still an obsession. Are you catching my drift?_"

"I lost you at 'obsession'." Quinn joked. She did understand what her friend was saying. Although she was agreeable.

"_Which one?_" Santana teased, getting the playful tone of her friend.

Quinn sighed.

"I'm not obsessed. It's just that...God, Santana. This is so damn confusing!"

"_I know it is. But that doesn't mean it's bad, though."_

"How exactly isn't it bad? I'm not saying I want anything serious – fuck, no – but she's into that guy, Brody. Even if I wanted to pursuit anything with her, and I'm not saying that I do, I can't. "

Santana rolled her eyes and sighed yet again.

"_Q, I'm gonna pour some wisdom on ya and you'd better listen up. If she really wanted to be with the guy, she would already be. You almost kissed, for fuck sake. Never mind the fact that you fucked your brains out a month ago! So, cut the crap, pick a sexy-ass outfit for tomorrow and join me at the party. No excuses!"_

Quinn wanted to decline the invitation, but she couldn't. She wanted to go to the party. It was just that she was nervous. And scared.

_Shit._

"Alright. I'll go. Meet me at 9 at the station?" the blonde asked.

"_Thank you! Yes, I'll meet you there. Now get the fuck off the phone. You've given me a headache._" she joked.

"Okay, thanks. Bye!"

"_Bye, Q_."

Quinn now needed to find an appropriate dress for the New Year's Eve party.

* * *

"How do I look?"

"For the millionth time, Rachel..." Kurt answered tiredly "...you look wonderful!"

"Are you sure?" the brunette asked feeling more and more nervous about the party. "Maybe I could put on the red dress I bought..."

"Ah ah ah!" Kurt cut her off placing his finger on her plump lips. "This dress looks amazing on you and no, you shouldn't change into the red one. Stop worrying, for God's sake!"

Rachel sighed in her tight black mid-thigh scrunchie dress and looked at the boy through the mirror in their bathroom where Kurt was fixing his hair. "I know, you're right. I just want to look good."

"I know you do, honey." he said putting back a hair that insisted on straying forward. " The question is for _whom?"_ he added side glancing his roommate and smiling teasingly.

"Ha ha! No one really! It's a New Year's Eve party!"

"Riiiight..."

"Oh come on, don't give me that!" Rachel playfully slapped him on his left arm.

"I'm just calling them as I see them, dear. You're dressing up for someone and that is either Brody...or Quinn."

"_What? _That's ludicrous, Kurt!"

"It's really not."

"Ugh! You don't know what you're talking about." she said feeling a little embarrassed by the fact that she was apparently transparent to her friend.

Thankfully, they heard their buzzer so Rachel was happy to leave the bathroom and Kurt's sixth sense in order to let their guests in.

Half an hour later in the evening, almost everyone had arrived and they were already having fun. Some of Rachel's and Kurt's friends from NYADA and Vogue were there as well as Puck, Sam, Mike, Artie, Brittany, Mercedes and Tina. Finn wouldn't make it, they had informed the New Yorkers; the reason was unsaid but both Rachel and Kurt knew why.

The brunette was pouring some more white wine in her glass and laughing at an inside joke a fellow student at NYADA had just told her, when she heard the buzzer again.

She immediately started feeling more nervous; her heart was beating considerably faster. She knew who it probably was. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe they wouldn't come.

_Why wouldn't they come?_

She hurriedly buzzed them in, straightened her dress and checked her hair and make-up on the metallic surface of their fridge. When she heard the doorbell ring she literally ran to get the door before anyone else could have the chance to.

She slid the heavy door open revealing a highly amused Santana, a seemingly angry Quinn...and a grinning from ear to ear Brody.

"Umm...hi!" Rachel greeted. She suddenly couldn't think of anything to say. Where have all the manners of a great hostess gone to? Her dads had taught her so well.

Just for a moment she noticed the blonde's eyes rake over her body and she felt her skin blush. The feeling was rather quickly traded for awkwardness when she felt Brody's eyes do the same.

"Hey, Rachel. You look amazing!" the boy said with an honest and flirty smile.

The brunette was now blushing furiously and instinctively turned her head to look at the blonde. The girl just looked away fumbling with her handbag.

"Like my man, Brody, here said...you look hot, Berry. Now do you mind letting us in already or are we going to stand here all night wiping off drool?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, yes! Sure! I'm so sorry!" the diva apologized clearing the threshold and motioning for them to come inside, ignoring the drool comment. "Wait. Do you know each other?"

"We just met in the elevator!" Brody replied as he was stepping in.

"Oh, alright."

"It was really fun!" Santana added sarcastically while taking off her coat.

Sliding the door closed, Rachel was watching Quinn. She hadn't said a word yet.

She let her eyes roam over the blonde's slender body appreciating the length of the cream colored dress she was wearing. She could feel her blood run warmer in her veins.

"Thanks for having us, Rach." she heard the oh so familiar gruff voice tell her.

Instantly, she looked up from where her eyes were resting earlier and smiled at the taller girl, who was now looking quite pleased.

"You're welcome, Quinn. Thank you for coming." she now locked eyes with the girl in front of her.

"Ladies, let me get your coats!" they heard Brody offer and Rachel couldn't miss the blonde's eye-roll.

"Thank you" she muttered under her breath, faking a smile at the boy.

"Thanks, Brody!" Santana said enthusiastically. "What a nice guy!" she added looking between Quinn and Rachel, when the boy left with their coats. "Are you banging him?"

"_What?" "Santana!" _both girls said simultaneously, looking at the Latina incredulously.

"I most certainly am _not _banging him!" the brunette added, not sure why she hurried to offer that information.

Quinn turned her head quickly to look at the diva and couldn't help but feel the corners of her mouth twitch upwards just a bit.

"Alright, don't get your panties in a twist. Just checking." Santana quipped and winked at both of them before she left their company to _mingle, _as she said.

Quinn was shaking her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe the Latina had asked that, although she found herself feeling a lot relieved at Rachel's answer.

"You look great, Quinn." Rachel blurted before stopping herself. She blushed at her own comment.

"Thank you. You do, too."

"Thank you."

"You look perfect actually." Quinn added.

Rachel smiled at her shyly.

"I doubt 'perfect' is the correct word, Quinn. Nonetheless, thank you again."

"No need. It's simply the truth." the blonde answered before she left to get herself a drink, leaving a dumbfounded brunette behind.

Time was passing by and everyone was having loads of fun. People were dancing, talking to each other, laughing, singing - the last part being mostly Rachel. The brunette was now standing in the kitchen, filling up her wine glass, when Brody approached smiling at her.

"This is a great party!"

"Thank you! Are you having fun?" questioned the brunette.

"A lot!" he replied placing his own drink on the kitchen counter. He moved closer to her.

Rachel was starting to feel a tad uncomfortable at the closeness of their bodies and tried to move back a bit, giving some much needed space between them.

She had been avoiding Brody the whole night. And if she was honest with herself, not just the whole night but rather weeks instead. Between what happened with Quinn and the ever present mind-numbing confusion in her head, she had hardly spent any time with the boy. He had been calling and texting her, but she had gracefully rejected all of his propositions of going out for drinks or dinner, feigning excuses of too much homework, exhaustion and even Kurt's loneliness and immediate need of her sole company.

If she was honest with herself, she would admit that, albeit selfish, she didn't care as much as she thought about dismissing Brody like that. The truth was there was a certain blonde occupying the majority of her thoughts, leaving little to no room for any other.

She had thought about their encounter at Puck's party and how Quinn looked. She had thought about the smell of vanilla and golden hair. She had thought about the flutter in her stomach when hazel met chocolate. She had thought about the tingles she had felt run through her spine when skin brushed skin, establishing the faintest of connections but oh so powerful.

Brody was staring at her looking slightly worried.

"Rachel? Are you okay? Did you hear anything I said?" he asked.

The small diva shook her head riding her mind of flashes of hazel and full lips, and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, my mind was elsewhere. What were you saying?"

"Umm, I was just telling you how beautiful you look tonight and how I would really like it if we danced?" he suggested, always smiling, offering his hand to the brunette.

"Oh, thank you, Brody! You look handsome yourself! I don't feel like dancing right now, though. I might take you up on your offer later on!" she retorted rubbing his arms before she turned to leave.

Brody wrapped his hand around her wrist and gently tugged at it, successfully stopping her in her tracks and turning her around.

Rachel caught a glimpse of a staring and enraged blonde, who was now entirely ignoring Mercedes and looked like she was ready to charge at the boy.

"Rachel, what's going on? Is everything okay?" Brody asked sincerely with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Everything is alright, Brody. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know. You seem kind of absentminded lately. And I have this feeling that...that you're avoiding me."

_Noooooooo. Who me?_

"I'm not avoiding you." she lied. "School has been kind of hectic, you know how it is. All the classes at NYADA are exhausting and I'm just trying to keep up."

Brody sighed deeply and smiled at her.

"I know, I'm sorry. That was...inappropriate of me. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that."

Rachel faked a smile - she wasn't proud of herself lying like that, but didn't really know what else to say to him. She looked to her left and saw Quinn just a few meters away, still staring at her. Mercedes was still talking to her, oblivious to the fact that the blonde was not actually listening to a word she was saying.

"Dance with me later?" she heard the male voice again.

She didn't want to dance with him.

"Sure! Later though." she offered and left the kitchen with her refilled drink in hand.

Quinn was now talking to Artie and Sam. They were talking about school and Yale. The former cheerleader was discussing enthusiastically the merits of being a student, living in a dorm-house. She was telling them about the parties, about the fun and numerous activities anyone could take up, about the amazing cafes and, of course, the spectacular view from the window in her room.

"Well, have you got any pictures?" Artie asked her.

"Yeah, sure. They're on my phone. I'll go get it." she replied and headed for Rachel's bedroom where all the guests' coats were.

She entered the room and chills ran down her body, all ending in her stomach, causing it to twist into a knot.

_The last time I was here..._

She took in the room. So much had happened here a little while ago. She saw the door where she had pinned Rachel kissing the daylights out of her. She saw the floor which had been covered in clothes thrown recklessly on it. She saw the bed where tan skin had met pale; where eager tongues had fought each other for dominance; where touches of slender fingers had brought on bliss.

Quinn felt her center throb.

She needed to find her cellphone and get out of the room right now.

"Last time you were here..." she heard someone say behind her as she was searching for her coat on the brunette's bed "...I was a complete asshole to you."

Quinn turned around to see the diva leaning with her back against her bedroom door, closing it gently.

"Have I told you how sorry I am for that?" she added.

The blonde looked at her as if she was trying to read her.

"Yes, you have, Rach. It's okay. We've talked about this."

"_We've talked about this." _the smaller girl mimicked. "And what did we conclude?"

Quinn was staring at her blankly. She had no idea how to answer that.

"Exactly." Rachel offered. "Ugh! This is so frustrating!" she admitted exasperated bawling her hands into fists and pushing herself off the door.

"What is?"

"_This! Us!" _the brunette explained.

"Rach..."

"Quinn, we are awkward around each other!" she stepped closer to the blonde.

"I know." Quinn agreed moving further and closer to the diva.

"I don't want us to be awkward."

The blonde let a deep breath leave her lips.

"Neither do I."

They were both standing inches away, staring into each other's eyes.

"What do you want, Rachel?" the blonde asked softly.

The diva blushed. She looked briefly away and then back into hazel orbs.

"I want..."she started hesitantly "...I want to be able to talk to you! To call you or text you like before, without thinking about repercussions and things like that."

The blonde was looking at her smiling. She wanted to cup Rachel's face; she wanted to kiss her full lips.

She didn't.

"You can still do all those things." she reassured.

Rachel beamed at her and opened her mouth to talk again but was interrupted but the door bursting open by Sam.

"Quinn! Oh hey, Rachel! Come on, guys! You're gonna miss the countdown!" he informed as he motioned for them to hurry out of the room and into the living room where everyone was standing already counting down from twenty.

Quinn was standing next to Rachel. They were, too, counting down, smiling, exchanging looks. Looks that they both knew they were trying to convey a message, but none of them was quite sure.

"...10...9..." everybody was yelling happily, including Quinn.

Her smile soon faltered, though, when Brody came up from behind Rachel, gripping her waist and counting down smiling.

Quinn felt anger run through her body.

"...8...7..."

She looked for the brunette's reaction. Rachel was smiling - not the 1000 megawatt smile, but still.

"...6...5..."

He rested his chin on her shoulder.

The former HBIC was taking over her. She wanted to smash those horse teeth in.

Rachel looked a bit uncomfortable, stealing glances at the blonde next to her.

"...4...3..." the rest of the people in the loft cheered.

Brody, gripping Rachel's waist firmly, turned her around easily and looked inside her eyes.

The diva looked shocked.

Quinn was fuming.

"...2...1...Happy New year!" was all that could be heard from everyone's mouth. Except for Quinn's.

She had stopped counting. She had lost all sense of time when she saw that damn boy cup Rachel's face and draw her closer for a kiss.

She had stopped looking because the sight was making her sick to her stomach.

She had hurriedly stepped outside the loft and into the hallway of the floor because she couldn't breathe.

She tried.

She couldn't.

All that she managed was ragged breaths. She could feel her own heart palpitate in her mouth, her ears ringing making her feel more and more dizzy.

_The fuck?!_

She was infuriated! She wanted to bash Brody's head in. She was so mad at him. She was mad at Rachel. She was mad at herself! She was mad at Santana for convincing her to come to the party.

Somewhere further in the hallway a door closed with force. She heard footsteps near her, but couldn't turn her head.

She didn't care.

"Quinn?!" she heard and instantly turned and looked at a clearly agitated brunette.

"Get inside, Rachel!"

"Why did you leave?" the small girl asked concerned.

"I needed some air, okay? Could you get back inside?" Quinn was trying so hard to remain calm, but failing miserably.

Rachel folded her arms, resting her weight on one hip, and looked at the blonde.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong, Quinn."

"For the love of God, stop being stubborn and go back inside to that fucking Brody guy, will you?!" Quinn spat out.

Such was the blonde's words' force that Rachel stepped a little back, feeling protective of herself.

She knew it was instinct.

She knew the blonde wouldn't hurt her. At least not like that.

She knew what the girl was so mad about, as well. She thought she did, actually.

"We didn't kiss!" she rushed stepping closer to Quinn.

"What?"

"We didn't...kiss. Brody and I." she clarified.

"Rach, I saw you!"

"Did you see me push him off?" Rachel pressed, now an inch away from Quinn.

The blonde was breathing heavily, her throat dry barely letting the oxygen in. With both hands she cupped the brunette's face, their eyes never losing their connection.

She could feel Rachel's own sharp breath on her cheeks, making her feel even dizzier than before.

Quinn died a little bit inside when she heard a small whimper leave Rachel's plump lips when she locked them with hers.

They were kissing frantically, hands touching everywhere, lips crashing forcefully.

Rachel licked Quinn's bottom lip to ask for permission. The blonde granted it more than happily.

The brunette's talented tongue fought the taller girl's for dominance, her teeth grazing her lips, her mouth muffling the blonde's desperate moans.

Quinn grabbed the diva by her sides and pinned her on the wall. She deepened her kiss even more and felt her core throb once more when she felt Rachel's hands draw her incredibly closer.

They both needed to feel each other so close. Nothing was enough. They needed to touch every single speck of skin.

Rachel grabbed Quinn from the back of her neck, thus deepening their kiss even more. She could feel her head swimming, unable to form any kind of thought, any kind of sentence. All she knew, was that the blonde was now brushing her thigh with one hand and neckline with the other, igniting all her skin cells with her fingertips.

"Quinn..." she breathed desperately.

"Fuck, Rach..." Quinn moaned between kisses. She couldn't stop kissing the diva.

"What..." Rachel's mouth was covered with Quinn's again, who was then peppering kisses along the brunette's jawline. "...what are we doing?" she barely managed.

Quinn immediately stopped and looked deep inside chocolate disks.

"Do you...want to stop?" she asked feeling hesitant and afraid of what the answer may be. "I'm sorry if I forced y..."

She was interrupted by Rachel's lips crashing on hers, continuing their previous assault.

"God no! No no no!" the smaller girl explained between breaths.

Quinn smiled into their heated kiss. "Good.." she pulled on Rachel's bottom lip with her own bruised pair "...me neither."

* * *

Please R & R! Tell me what you think or how you want the story to proceed. I have a plan and drafts but I want to know what _you _want.


	8. The Descent

_**Hey, everyone! Hope you're all having fun on your holidays!**_

_**Here's the eighth chapter of the story. Hope you all enjoy it.**_

_**I do NOT own Glee or its characters. I do own a collection of knives though. (I'm just weird, I'm not murderous) :P**_

* * *

_**~ Chapter 8 – The Descent ~**_

The air was entering her lungs cold and sharp. The heavy drops of rain mastering a steady rhythmic sound on the plastic surface of her red umbrella. She looked down at her feet to check how ruined her shoes would be; they were pretty messed up. She had accidentally walked into a couple of muddy puddles on her way to the coffee shop.

Scoffing she closed her umbrella and with her back she pushed open the door to her favorite coffee shop at the corner of her street. It was quite crowded, which would be expected since it was rush hour on a Monday morning. There were people sitting in small tables typing away on their laptops, reading the newspaper or a book and others waiting in line to get their coffees to go. Rachel followed the latter.

She waited patiently until it was her turn to place an order.

"Hey, good morning! How are you?" the tall, redhead and rather beautiful barista asked her with a smile.

"Good morning to you too! I'm fine, how are you?" said Rachel with a smile.

"I'm very well…now." replied the barista with a flirtatious smirk, causing the brunette to blush.

"I…I'll have a – "

"-double non-fat soy latte and a red-eye?" the redhead interrupted.

Rachel was astounded. "Umm…yes. Exactly."

The pretty barista winked and started preparing her orders.

Rachel wasn't used to that kind of treatment. Surely, it was the girl's job to prepare their drinks, but to remember her exact order?

_And that wink…_

_Is she flirting with me?_

"Ugh! Have I told you how much I hate the rain?" a male voice brought her back from her thoughts.

"Aww! Did your hair get messed up?" the brunette teased looking at her friend who had just walked in the coffee shop swearing under his breath.

"Thank God, it didn't! But my suede shoes are definitely ruined. The tragedy!"

"Kurt, sometimes I think you're even more dramatic than I am."

The boy goggled at his roommate feigning horror.

"That is unquestionably a wake-up call." He quipped.

Rachel stuck her tongue out and reached for her purse to get the money out as soon as she saw the redhead place the drinks in front of her.

"They're on the house…" she said motioning for the brunette to stop reaching for her money.

"Umm…thank you, but there is no need…"

"It's just a couple of coffees…and they're on the house" she said smiling, slightly leaning on the counter separating her from the customers.

Rachel smiled shyly and nodded.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome. I'm Ashley, by the way." She added extending her hand.

"I'm Rachel." Answered the brunette shaking the other girl's hand. "And this is Kurt."

"Hi, Kurt. I'm Ashley. Nice to meet you both…finally." The barista told the boy but her eyes never left Rachel.

"It was nice to meet you too." Kurt offered weekly.

"And thank you again for the coffees. Have a good day!" was all Rachel said before turning to leave the coffee shop.

Kurt followed suit and when he caught up with his friend he bumped his shoulder into hers playfully.

"Well well well! First the lovely Quinn, now the pretty barista. You're on fire, miss Berry!"

"Oh, stop it, Kurt!" Rachel shied.

"You should go ask for her number."

"_What? _No! I'm not doing that!" she replied incredulously.

"Why not?"

"Because…I don't want it."

"Is it really because you don't want it or…because of Quinn? Because you told me you're not together." Kurt said raising his left eyebrow.

Rachel sighed. Having this kind of conversation was not her ideal way of starting her busy week. She opened her umbrella and started walking towards the train station, her friend mimicking her actions, an expectant look plastered on his face.

"Both, I guess." The girl replied. "Quinn and I are not together and I don't want Ashley's number either."

"And what are you and Quinn doing, may I ask?"

Rachel automatically smiled, her mind getting filled with thoughts and images of the blonde right away.

"It's complicated…"

It _was _complicated…to talk to other people about it, that is. Because it didn't _feel_ complicated to them. For Rachel, kissing Quinn was something that came natural to her. Surely, the initial shock was inevitable, undeniable even. But having already had sex with the girl – even if she was drunk at the time, the actual feeling of shock was worn off.

It felt natural, for the moment she had felt Quinn's lips on hers at the New Year's Eve party, she felt that the world had stopped moving. Like nothing important surrounded them, nothing but white noise and grey scenery. Because, in their own little bubble, all the music and colors of the world were in there, trapped with them. Nothing tasted or sounded sweeter. Nothing could break their connection at the moment, because all forces of nature would only draw them closer.

That's what it felt like for Rachel. How could she stop kissing Quinn when it caused such powerful feelings?

How could she stop kissing Quinn when all she had thought about that night was tasting the blonde?

How could she stop kissing Quinn when her senses were deliciously flooded by vanilla and soft, warm, electrifying touches?

_At the New Year's Eve party…_

After they had kissed in the hallway for an undefinable amount of time, they had to get back to the party eventually, since most of their friends could actually be heard calling for them.

Unwillingly they had walked back into the crowded loft and started celebrating the New Year with their friends. They were all drinking and dancing, sharing New Year's resolutions with one another, all of which would probably be totally forgotten by the following morning.

Quinn was dancing with Brittany, stealing glances at Rachel a few feet away from her. The brunette was talking to Artie and laughing heartedly.

"You can go ahead and dance with Rachel, if you want to, Quinn." She heard Brittany tell her.

Quinn immediately felt her cheeks flush, stood still and looked at her friend. Brittany was dancing in front of her kind of using her as a dancing pole.

"Why would I want to dance with Rachel, Britt?" she faked miserably.

The dancer stopped for just a second and smiled at her before she added. "Because you keep staring at her all night and it's kinda obvious that you're into her or something. And it's okay, Quinn, because I think you two totally look hot together, not like San and I used to but still. So, is Rachel a good kisser? I always wanted to know but I knew that it would make Santana mad so I never did. I once tried to make her kiss Lord Tubbington so that I would get to know from him but Rachel didn't want to. Lord Tubbington was heart-broken…but he made it through."

Quinn was dumbfounded. How could Brittany know all this? And _ewwwww. _ She couldn't shake off the mental image of Rachel kissing a fat cat.

"Britt…have you talked to Santana about me?"

"Umm, no…not about you. Why?"

"How do you know about me and Rachel? Is it _that _obvious?"

"To me it is. I always know when people hook up or stuff. It's like a ninth sense."

Quinn opened her mouth to correct her friend but opted not to. She would probably list the additional three senses she claimed she had and Quinn was too shocked to care.

At the kitchen table, Kurt was filling his glass of red wine and Santana was fixing her and Brittany's another Vodka & Soda.

"All I'm saying is that you should just forgive the little Warbler and get back together. Believe me, it's going to be hard to find someone new who would put up with your sense of style. I mean, you got to have a boyfriend _and _that awful rhino broach."

Kurt was shaking his head at the Latina.

"Thank you for your extremely kind and valuable advice, Santana. Let me offer you a piece of advice myself. Although I find myself accustomed to your normal bitchy self, I could not help but notice that lately you have been dishing it harder than usual, reminding me of the unfortunate period of time before you came out of the closet and officially got together with Brittany. For your own well-being, and the rest of the known world as well, I suggest you wake the hell up and get her back, before it's too late. You have a rare kind of love and you're a fool to waste it."

Santana was staring at him, surprised by the boy's answer. For the first time in the entire duration of the night and probably a lot longer, she had looked vulnerable. Kurt had hit close to home.

She sighed and brought the paper cup to her lips.

"I know" she said "touché, Lady Hummel."

Kurt smiled at her kindly and had a sip of his wine.

"Look at them." The Latina said with a huff. "Could they be any more obvious?"

Kurt had an idea of who she was referring to but wasn't quite sure.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Oh come on. Don't play dumb!" Santana said motioning with her eyes to Quinn and Rachel who were ignoring their companies and staring at each other from across the room.

Kurt watched the exchange and turned to look at Santana.

"I knew it! You know!"

"Of course, I know. Best friend and lesbian here, hello?" she said pointing at herself with her thump.

"My God, Rachel has been driving me crazy. She totally wore that dress for Quinn tonight, you know. She didn't admit to it, but I know."

"You don't say…" the Latina was nodding approvingly, smiling. "You know, my girl didn't want to come at first, because she thought it would be awkward with that Brady guy. What's the deal with him anyway?" she inquired.

"It's Brody." Kurt corrected. "And please, that guy is hot and kind and all – even though he entirely ruined a perfect turkey at our Thanksgiving dinner, but he's not for Rachel. He was just a rebound from Finn, although she won't admit it openly. She gets offended by the use of the word 'rebound' as if it's not human nature or something."

"Pff…classic anal Berry." Santana nodded.

"Hey!" Kurt admonished feeling a little offended by the Latina's characterization of his friend.

"Okay, _sorry!" _Santana apologized feeling bored. "They should hook up again. And soon!"

"What? Do you think so?" Kurt scrunched his nose mentally weighing the advantages and disadvantages of such a development in the two girls' relationship status.

"You kidding me, Hummel? Quinn is about to jump your little friend's bones in front of everyone and Berry is seconds away from singing "I Touch Myself" to Fabray over there."

Kurt only nodded in understanding.

"Just saying." She said again. "There's nothing wrong with acting on your feelings, right?"

"You're not wrong." Kurt agreed. "…as scary as that may be." He added under his breath earning the infamous Lopez death stare.

He lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with the ex-cheerleader and looked at the living room where their friends had been just seconds before.

"Where did they go?" he asked curiously.

They both scanned the room before they raised their eyebrows and bobbed their heads in understanding.

"Huh…" was all Kurt answered to this own question.

Santana was laughing amused.

Rachel's mouth found Quinn's the second she pushed the door of the bathroom closed. The blonde smiled into their kiss.

"What are you…doing?" she asked the brunette playfully.

Rachel not once stopped licking and nipping Quinn's lips.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she managed between kisses and ragged breaths.

The blonde grabbed Rachel from the back of her neck and deepened the kiss, earning a guttural moan from the diva, who had her arms wrapped around Quinn's waist.

"Well, you almost tore my arm out when you pulled me in here." teased the taller girl.

"Well…" Rachel started explaining while running a wet and painfully slow path down Quinn's jawline and neck with her tongue "…I really, _really _wanted to kiss you."

Quinn was now out of breath, her arousal clouding her mind, her throat closing.

"I…I really wanted to kiss you too." She barely said, feeling Rachel nip her pulse point and soothing the skin with her hot tongue.

"Are you sure?" the diva asked raising an eyebrow, stopping her ministrations. "Because it sounds like you're complaining." She teased.

Quinn opened her eyes and stared at the brunette. How could she possibly be complaining? She then noticed the playful glimmer in Rachel's eyes and smiled.

"I'll stop talking then."

That's all Rachel needed to hear, because the moment the blonde had finished talking, her teeth were holding Quinn's bottom lip hostage.

"Good." She said smiling and violated the taller girl's mouth with her tongue.

After a while, and several angry knocks on the door, they came out of the bathroom, fortunately undetected by the rest of the people of the party – or so they thought anyway.

The party went on for a few hours. Most of the guests were drunk, but luckily the less inebriated ones would go downstairs and put everyone in cabs.

It was now early in the morning. The party had died down, the music playing sotto voce, the old Glee club members the only guests that had remained. Brody had left a couple of hours earlier. He had been clearly upset and Rachel was feeling guilty about it. When she bid the boy goodbye, however, she didn't miss the chance to apologize to him. She explained that she didn't feel like it was the right thing to do, that she didn't feel that way for him. Brody had looked angry but understanding nonetheless. He gave her a small smile, said that they could still be friends and left the party.

Puck and Sam were sleeping in an upright position on the couch, releasing small snores, which made the rest of the group laugh. Brittany was still dancing, this time on Santana's lap; the Latina looked just enthralled. Tina, Mike, Kurt, Blaine, Quinn and Rachel were sprawled across the floor, taking turns at throwing popcorn at Artie, trying to hit his open mouth, which was serving as a basketball rim.

"I'm telling you, guys…" Rachel started "…you should all just stay here. We will lay down sleeping bags and comforters, some will get the couch and we'll all go to sleep! It's going to be great! Just like camping!"

Rachel had missed her friends from back home. She wanted to make the most of every time they would get together.

Of course, having Quinn sleep over wasn't the least favorite idea she had in her mind.

"What about your bed?" she heard Santana's voice.

"What about it?"

"I'll stay if I have your big-ass bed."

"Well…_I'm _going to lie in my bed."

"Aren't you gonna share it? It's a twin bed."

"Of course I am. Not with you, though!" Rachel warned in a playful tone, causing Quinn, who was sitting next to her, laugh under her breath.

The Latina smiled and raised her eyebrow. She looked like she had gotten the answer she wanted.

"And who might you want to share it with, Berry?" she asked slowly and meaningfully.

Rachel's cheeks reddened and Quinn was coughing next to her, avoiding looking at the brunette.

"Umm…I don't mind really. Whoever wants to share it with me."

"Is that so?" the Latina carried on obviously amused by the embarrassment she was causing the small girl. It all soon ended, though, when she heard Brittany say "I'll sleep with you, Rachel."

Everyone but Santana laughed when they saw the Latina's grimace.

"There's no need for sleeping bags or arrangements whatsoever, guys." Tina said looking at Kurt and Rachel. "Thank you, though. But we've got tickets to go back to Ohio in a little while. We'll catch some sleep on the train."

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked. "It's really no trouble for us. We'd love to put you all up."

"Thank you both. Maybe some other time." Mike offered.

Both Rachel and Kurt smiled at him, silently wishing that time would come soon.

A little while later, they had woken up Puck and Sam and they were all at the door saying goodbye to their hosts.

"That was an awesome party, dude. Not like mine but still, it rocked." Puck told Kurt.

"Oh thank you, Puck! It means a lot coming from you."

"Promise to call me if you need any help with the Glee club?" Rachel asked Blaine.

"Yes, Rachel, I promise." The former Warbler replied tiredly.

She then felt a warm hand cup hers and turned to her right to see Quinn look at her intensely.

"Hey."

"Hey."

They looked deep in each other's eyes and then Rachel, in just a fraction of a second, she felt her body relax. She was engulfed by Quinn's strong arms. The blonde let out a deep breath, crushing on Rachel's skin, sending shivers down her spine.

"Thank you for the wonderful party." she whispered in the brunette's ear. "I'll call you." She promised quietly for only Rachel to hear.

"You're welcome. Thank you for coming." was all the brunette could think of saying.

She did want the blonde to call her. But how did she actually mean it? Was it an "I'll call you…but not really" one? Or maybe "I'll call you…the next time we can all hang out together"?

She wanted so much to be an "I'll call you…because I'll want to hear you again".

She shook her head getting rid of her thoughts and smiled at the now retrieving group.

It was a new day. It felt like a new day. She and Kurt closed the door of their loft and sighed when they saw the mess. Empty cups and plates, decorations, bottles and 2013 hats were everywhere.

"Wanna clean up later?" Kurt asked feeling extremely tired.

"Sure." Rachel agreed yawning. "Goodnight, Kurt."

"Good morning, you mean." He retorted smiling before he closed the door to his bedroom.

* * *

Rachel was sitting on a bench at the park opposite NYADA, sipping her afternoon coffee, waiting patiently until it was time for her next lesson to start. Coming back from the Winter break had brought on a renewed excitement. She had missed her dance and singing lessons. She had even missed the theoretical ones, which most of her fellow students had always complained about being boring like hell.

She was watching pedestrians passing her by, probably going back to work from their lunch breaks when she heard her phone signal she had a new text message. She fished the phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen.

A warm feeling formed in her heart and stomach when she realized it was Quinn.

She had talked and sent texts with the blonde several times after the New Year's Eve party. Quinn had initiated their communication via text message the moment she had gone back to her dorm room at Yale, letting her know she was back and how much fun she had had at the party. The following days they had exchanged calls and messages, talking about nothing important really; just how they had spent their day or even to ask for any good movie suggestions.

Their conversations were simple and light. They didn't talk about their last encounter. They didn't feel the need to do so. It was a shared and unsaid secret that they had both wanted the kiss, or kisses, so they left things at that. Their communication and long conversations about bad television shows or even recipes fulfilled their wishes; to just hear each other's voices.

Rachel, feeling giddier by the second, unlocked her phone and read the text message.

_Q: Hey! How's your first day back at NYADA?_

She smiled, moved by the blonde's interest in her and punched in a reply.

_R: It's been amazing really! I had missed all of my classes too much. How about you?_

She put her phone down on her thigh and had another sip of her coffee, waiting for Quinn to reply.

Her phone buzzed again, just after a few seconds.

_Q: The same! :D There are a lot of new faces, though._

_R: I'm glad! New faces huh? An opportunity to make new friends maybe?_

The brunette smiled, already knowing the answer to that.

_Q: I have enough friends from the first semester. You know how well I cope with new acquaintances. _

She did know. Quinn had always been awkward around new people. She would either ignore them completely or tear them down at the first chance she got. _Maybe it was insecurity? _the brunette thought.

_R: I know :P Hey, tonight I think I'm going to watch that movie you suggested._

_Q: Which one?_

_R: "The Descent"._

_Q: …I don't think it's wise to watch it alone, Rach._

_R: Is it that scary? :O_

_Q: It kinda is. I would suggest you watch it with Kurt but I think he's going to be the one to scream first._

Rachel bit her lip, considering how to reply.

_R: Hahaha! I'm not going to share the last part with him, however true it might be. :P Want to watch it some time with me?_

Rachel threw the phone back on her lap as if the action would erase the last part of message. She didn't regret it. She just didn't know what the response would be.

The phone buzzed again.

_Q: Sure! Wish we could meet up tonight and watch it._

The brunette felt her bones instantly relax.

_R: Me too I have to go now :) Time for my next class. Talk to you later. Bye_

_Q: Same here. Bye_

Rachel got up and started walking towards the NYADA entrance. She felt the corners of her lips curve upward.

It was a good day.

_A few days later…_

Quinn was sitting in her seat at her favorite café. She had finished her classes and with the whole weekend ahead of her, she just wanted to relax for a bit after an overwhelming first week back at Yale after the Winter break. She was browsing the Internet on her laptop while having her Americano.

Reading reviews about new movie releases, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe a certain brunette would like to go watch a movie with her at the cinema. She knew _she _wanted to. Talking to Rachel had been fun. Kissing her was heaven. Why would going to watch a movie together would be any different?

Okay, surely, it would be a lot different than making out. But it would be nice.

_Wouldn't it?_

Quinn went on to check her emails refusing to let herself obsess over what it would be like to go to the movies with Rachel or whether the brunette would agree.

She had a couple of new emails, both sent from a fellow student at Yale and one of her new friends there, Jamie. The first one was an invitation to a party on Saturday and the second one was Jamie asking for a few notes for the Art History class. Quinn had just sent a reply, attaching her notes, when she heard her phone ring.

_Rachel._

"Hey you!" she answered her phone happily.

"_Hey yourself! Is it a bad time? Should I call later?" _Rachel's voice sounded through the line.

"No, of course not. I'm just having coffee. I'm done with today's classes."

"_Oh good. How are you? How was your day?"_

Quinn smiled, feeling her heart warm.

"It was great! Yours?"

"_Mine was…interesting." _Rachel retorted.

Quinn suddenly started feeling concerned.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"_Oh, yes! Everything is fine. It was good interesting…I think."_

Quinn raised her eyebrow not really understanding what the brunette was talking about.

"Are you sure?"

"_Yes, Quinn. There's nothing to worry. So tell me, what are you doing right now?"_

"Talking to you?" the blonde teased.

"_Ha ha! Clever, Fabray."_

"I know, right?" Quinn quipped. "Well…I was just thinking about you." she bit her lip waiting for a response from the diva.

"_Really?" _Rachel breathed in the phone. "_What were you thinking about specifically, may I ask?"_

Quinn felt her heart race listening to the playful yet flirtatious tone in Rachel's voice.

"Well, I was just reading a few new movie reviews and…I was…I was wondering if you'd like to go to the movies some time?" she asked quietly, regretting revealing her previous thoughts to the diva.

_What if she doesn't want to?_

After a few moments of silence, Rachel's voice sounded again through the phone.

"_Are there any musicals on?"_

Quinn laughed, relaxing a tad.

"Actually no. There are a few seemingly good horror films though." The blonde answered. She knew Rachel wasn't the type to watch a horror film, but she wanted to see how the brunette would react. "You interested?"

Rachel was silent for a couple of seconds.

"_Okay! I'm in!" _she replied high-spiritedly_. "But…with one condition."_

"And what is that?" asked Quinn curiously.

"_You have to watch 'The Descent' with me at first. I refuse to let myself watch an absolutely terrifying film in a closed room full of strangers for my first horror film experience."_

Quinn laughed silently and shook her head; she still found it hard to get her head around the fact how anyone could not have ever watched a single horror film in their whole lives.

"Okay, Rach. We'll watch 'The Descent' first."

"_Good! What are you doing tonight?" _Rachel asked.

"Umm…nothing really. Haven't got any plans." The blonde answered.

"_How would you feel about sharing my first movie experience in the horror genre with me tonight?"_

Quinn was taken aback.

"How?" was all she could say at the moment.

"_Okay, remember when I told you my day had been interesting?"_

"Yeah." Quinn muttered unsure of where this was going to.

"_Well, I took the train and now I'm standing in front your dorm-house." _Rachel explained hesitantly. She was afraid her action would put pressure on the blonde.

Quinn thought for a second, wrapping her head around the new information.

"You're here?" she asked, wanting to clarify.

"_I am." _Rachel answered. _"I brought the DVD."_

Quinn had already stood up, putting her things away in her bag.

"_Surprise!" _she heard Rachel say unsurely.

_She's here! Oh my God, she's here!_

"I'm coming to get you! Stay there!" Quinn exclaimed giddily and she was out of the café.

"_Okay."_

* * *

_**As usual, please Read & Review.**  
_

_**PS: I wish you all a Happy New Year and maybe 2013 will bring less wishes and more actions ;) Cheers**_


	9. Getting Glasses

**_Hello, dear readers! I'm sorry for taking longer than usual to update. Birthdays and running errands, as well as working, have been taking most of my time these days._**

**_This is the next chapter. I feel it's quite good, but I value your opinion way more than mine._**

**_This chapter is dedicated to my beautiful, loving girlfriend who's currently playing online casino._**

**_I do NOT own Glee or any of its characters. I own a huge stack of CDs that I currently have nowhere to put, because I rearranged some stuff at my place._**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

~_** Chapter 9 - Getting Glasses ~**_

To find herself in a position where all she could feel was panic, wasn't that rare to Rachel. From when she was a playful little toddler and she drew stars on her Daddy's suit with her yellow crayons, only to realize moments later that it was the one that he had worn the day he married her Dad, to today when she was waiting for Quinn to come and get her from where she currently was; outside the blonde's dorm house.

Rachel had made up her mind in a flash. There had been no thinking about it; no kind of pondering or lists of pros and cons. There had only been a question from a fellow NYADA student, Tom.

"_What are you doing for the weekend?"_

That is all he had asked. And Rachel, at that very moment, knew exactly what she wanted to do for the weekend. If she was honest with herself, she knew all week long. Nevertheless, that was the defining moment, because she never even bothered to answer the boy's question; she just took the train back to the loft, packed a small suitcase and the next thing she knew was that she was on a platform waiting for the train to New Haven. And there she was now, waiting in the cold winter air outside Quinn's dorm. The blonde had surely sounded surprised, but there was one question in Rachel's mind. Was she good-surprised? Or maybe 'why-are-you-invading-my-space-and-weekend-off'-surprised? Had she made a good decision? Would her spontaneity be appreciated by the girl? Or would it be condemned? Her panic only grew and a shiver started forming, eventually taking over her whole body.

_What if she doesn't want me here?_

Fractions of a second later, all questions were answered. Not with words, though. She hadn't heard the blonde call out her name. She just felt a hand on her shoulder turn her around and just before she could even register the person who had done so, she was enveloped in a tight and warm embrace. Rachel closed her eyes and breathed in the unmistakable scent of vanilla.

"You're here." She heard Quinn whisper near her ear and hug her even tighter.

The brunette smiled. "I am." She answered. "I'm so sorry to barge in your space like this." She said as she pulled away from the blonde to look at her. "I thought it was a good idea and I didn't really think about it before I realized I was already on the train here and then it came to me that you may have plans or there was the possibility that you didn't want anyone come visit you and I know you value your personal space and leisure time and now I am not one hundred percent certain whether this was a good idea or not and, either way, I can always go back to New York and we can all pretend that this never happened and I promise next time I'll ask and-"

Rachel stopped talking when she saw Quinn check her wrist watch and laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?"

"This, Ms. Berry, must be a new personal record!"

Rachel scrunched up her nose feeling confused.

"Record of what?"

"Your rambling." Quinn explained smiling.

"Quinn!" Rachel crossed her arms in front of her chest and stomped her foot.

"Did you seriously stomp your foot right now?" Quinn's amusement was growing by the second.

"No…" the brunette answered narrowing her eyes and lying, of course. "I'm serious, Quinn. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. I can leave."

Quinn placed her hands on the brunette's shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Are you mad?" she asked and just when Rachel was about to give an eloquent retort about how she willingly had her mental state tested in the past - and was, naturally, cleared of any kind of insanity by one of the most prestigious psychiatrists in Lima, Ohio - Quinn continued "This is the most pleasant surprise since I first got here! You're not going anywhere!"

Rachel felt her heart swell and her once building tension, now decrease and finally disappear. She didn't say anything, she just smiled sweetly at the blonde.

"Come on, let's get you settled!" Quinn said as she grabbed the suitcase Rachel was carrying and motioned for her to follow her lead.

The walked into the building and climbed up the stairs in silence. Rachel was looking around, taking in the surroundings while Quinn was giddily leading the way to her room, still unable to realize that the brunette was actually there.

"This is it." She said when they reached the door to room 26. She unlocked the door and held it open for Rachel to go in first.

"How chivalrous!" the brunette almost whispered half serious half teasing as she walked in the room.

"Well, I never thought I'd hear that, let alone from your lips." Quinn offered following the brunette inside and closing the door behind her.

"It's true, so…" Rachel smirked and shrugged her shoulders.

Quinn could only stand there and stare at the girl as she realized that Rachel was flirting with her. Her heart rate quickened and she could actually feel her hands tremble.

_How is she doing this to me? I was never like this…_

"This is great!" Rachel exclaimed gesturing at the whole room. "You've done a great job decorating and it really gives off this cozy yet elegant student vibe."

"It's just a room, Rach." said Quinn, walking towards the brunette in the middle of the room.

"Still, I've seen other dorm rooms and they were absolutely tasteless and quite frankly unwelcoming, opposed to yours."

"Well, you _are _welcome here." The blonde offered seductively, completely closing the distance between them, extracting a small gasp from the smaller girl.

Rachel could feel her blood pumping in her veins, her ears ringing. All she knew was that Quinn was an inch away from her and all she wanted was that inch to be reduced to nothing.

"I am?" she breathed, her eyes fixed on a pair of plump lips.

"You know you are." Or at least something like that, was what she heard before Quinn locked her lips with hers. Instantly, her hands found home on the blonde's back, pulling her closer. Quinn grabbed Rachel from the sides of her face and started kissing the brunette slowly but purposefully.

It wasn't like the rest of their kisses. The previous ones were passionate and fast, maybe sloppy. This one was passionate but slow, sweet. Their hot breaths mingled, driving them both crazy. Quinn let a small whimper out, desperately craving for more now. She licked Rachel's bottom lip and gently bit it, making her wishes known. The brunette could only oblige and opened her mouth, welcoming the blonde's darting tongue inside. Rachel elicited a guttural moan at the feel of the taller girl's hot muscle and Quinn wondered if she just came in her pants. Saying goodbye to all self-restraint and any kind of control, she pushed the diva towards her desk and with one quick move, she grabbed her by her toned bottom and lifted her to sit at the edge of the wooden furniture. Rachel gasped, feeling her panties getting absolutely ruined. She grabbed Quinn by the back of her neck and deepened their kiss, assaulting the blonde's mouth relentlessly. She needed to kiss the blonde, she needed to bite her, she needed her closer than that – if that was even possible, she needed to touch her, to feel her on her skin, inside her…everywhere. She needed _her._

Quinn, her hands gripping the brunette's waist, moved her lips lower, giving Rachel's neck openmouthed kisses. She licked and nipped the skin causing goosebumps to appear all over the diva's body. Gently biting on Rachel's pulse point and soothing it with her skillful tongue, she heard the smaller girl gasp loudly. She looked up to see a mesmerizing view of the beautiful singer having her head thrown back, her eyes shut, enjoying the feeling of the blonde's tongue on her skin. Wanting back in her mouth, Quinn forcefully connected their lips again, this time tugging on Rachel's hair a bit, causing her to lean her head back. Quinn licked the brunette's bottom lip before she moved to her chin; she kissed it passionately and gave it a bite. She wanted to taste every single inch on Rachel's skin and she had no idea where to start. The smaller girl, feeling rather certain that a heart attack was due any second now, gripped Quinn by her jacket and wrapped her long legs around her waist before she pushed her tongue inside the blonde's mouth. Their kiss was growing deeper and needier and the only sound that could be heard was the mixed sound of their moans and small whimpers.

Quinn moved her hands higher, caressing the diva's ribs. She had never felt so in place and so lost at the same time before. It was a newfound feeling, the strangest one, but she was relishing in it. And so was Rachel, as it seemed. Suddenly remembering that she actually needed a regular supply of oxygen in order to continue living, thus continuing kissing Rachel, Quinn brought her hand up to the brunette's face, cupping her cheeks. She reluctantly broke their kiss, but not before sucking on Rachel's bottom lip. She took a deep breath and rested her forehead on Rachel's.

"I think we should slow down a bit." She breathed and opened her eyes to look at the diva.

Rachel was staring at her, her pupils dilated, her lips swollen. She let her legs fall on each side of the blonde's body and brought Quinn closer for a sound and sweet kiss.

"You're right." She agreed. "It's proving to be more difficult than I thought, but you're right."

Quinn smiled at her, knowing exactly what she meant, and gave her a wet kiss on her neck, just below her ear.

"Do you…" the blonde started as she grabbed Rachel's hand to help her down the desk "…want to go out for dinner? Or a drink? Or several?" she winked letting the other girl know that she was kidding about the last part.

Rachel felt weak at her knees, seeing the blonde playful and flirtatious like that. She couldn't help but wonder how the hell she was supposed to take it slow when she had to face _that _Quinn.

"Well, that is a splendid idea, Quinn." She answered straightening her clothes now that she was standing. "Could I maybe have a shower first? I have the smell of train all over me and I feel a little disgusting." Rachel wanted that shower badly, but she needed it to be a rather cold one as well.

Quinn closed the distance between them again and gave her a small kiss. "That's a lie…" she said her gaze returning to brown orbs "…unless the train you took smelled like strawberries."

Rachel looked down, feeling suddenly shy. "Such a charmer!" she said.

Quinn laughed. "I try!" she offered as she shrugged. "Nevertheless, you can use the shower, of course. Let me get you a towel."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome." replied the blonde after giving her a fresh towel.

Rachel grabbed her toiletries bag from her suitcase and headed out to the direction of the showers, where Quinn had showed her.

This was going to be an interesting weekend.

A little while later, after Rachel had finished showering and getting dressed – Quinn had gotten dressed while Rachel was in the shower, the action almost distracting her from the fact that the brunette was a few feet away naked – they both headed outside.

Walking through campus, Quinn was giving a small tour naming the buildings they passed by. She was so excited that Rachel was there, it almost made her jump.

"Wow, it's so beautiful here, Quinn. No wonder you're so excited!"

The blonde wanted to correct her and let her know she was the reason she had a spring in her step, but opted not to. She didn't want to sound, well, corny…albeit she felt so herself.

"It is, yeah. I'm really glad you're here, Rach." She said failing to stop herself. At least, she sounded sincere and not at all corny.

Rachel smiled sweetly. "I'm really glad I'm here, as well. It was a good decision after all." She replied adding a wink in the end. "So, tell me about this place we're going to. Is it a bar? A café? Restaurant?"

"Well, it's a restaurant that I've always wanted to go to but didn't have the chance till now. It seems nice and I know it's got great reviews."

"Oh great. We don't need to go to a restaurant though, you know. We could just grab a bite anywhere and-"

"Nonsense. I want you to have a decent vegan meal. You came all the way here, it's the least I could do. Let alone the fact that I wanted to go there, as well."

"I don't know what to say, Quinn. Thank you. I want you to know, though, that I wanted to come here so you don't need to go all out and such; I could still have a salad anywhere, you know. I don't mind."

"Will you stop talking?" Quinn said feigning menace. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Rachel open her mouth in shock at the blonde's words. She stopped walking and tugged on the brunette's hand, bringing her closer. "I just wanna treat you, you know?" she breathed looking in chocolate eyes.

"Uh huh" was all Rachel could utter, feeling her heart swell.

"And, unfortunately, your selflessness when it comes to dining options is ruining it. So, I'm gonna need you to stop talking or else I'm gonna make you." Quinn teased with a glimmer in her eye.

Rachel gulped audibly. "Duly noted."

"Great!" Quinn beamed at her. "Now let's go, it's freezing and I'm hungry!" she added and they both carried on walking again.

After a few minutes, they walked into the restaurant. It was quite modern and cozy, and it seemed like it was expensive. Rachel couldn't help but wonder if they would get a table when she noticed that the place was actually crowded. She was about to let Quinn know about her thoughts, when she saw the blonde talk to the hostess.

"The name is _Fabray." _She heard her say.

The hostess nodded after searching the notebook in front of her.

_She's made a reservation?_

Rachel heard Quinn call her name, disrupting her thoughts.

"Come on." said the blonde smiling at her.

"You made a reservation?"

"Of course." Quinn shrugged like it what she had done was the most natural thing in the world. The thing is that, for the blonde, it was. Of course she would make a reservation. She wanted to have dinner with Rachel in a decent place and since it was a Friday and it was possibly crowded, she had quickly found the restaurant's number online, called and made a reservation to make sure they would get a table.

"When did you?"

"When you were in the shower."

The hostess had shown them to their table – it was a nice one near the window, thank God, and not one right outside the toilets – and they took their seats before a waiter came and passed them the menus.

"Impressively sneaky." Rachel flirted.

Quinn let out a sigh, feeling amused. "Well, I _am _sneaky _and _impressive."

"Don't forget cocky." Rachel replied enjoying their playful banter.

Quinn laughed and darted her tongue out at Rachel before she looked though the menu.

After a few minutes, they had been served their meals and the restaurant definitely lived up to Quinn's expectations after reading a bunch of great reviews. Both girls were now drinking their wine, enjoying their light conversation.

"I'm actually relieved you didn't watch 'The Descent' alone…or with Kurt." Quinn said.

"Is it _that _bad? I'm suddenly on the fence on if it's a good idea to watch it at all!"

"It _is _quite scary, but don't worry…I'll protect you." The blonde reassured, her voice dropping a few tones.

Rachel eyed her suspiciously. "I had _no _idea you were like this."

Quinn was taken aback.

"Like what?"

"Like _this." _Rachel gestured between them. "With all the flirt and the playfulness."

"Ah…" the blonde nodded finally understanding what Rachel had meant previously. "That makes two of us." she uttered under her breath, not sure that the girl on her opposite had heard her.

"I like it." Rachel blurted out.

Quinn raised an eyebrow and leaned in before she whispered at her "I'm glad."

Rachel smiled and took a sip of her wine.

Several glasses of red wine later, both girls agreed it was time to go. Quinn paid the bill, regardless of Rachel's insistence on at least paying for herself and effectively adding more points to her chivalry and charm.

They walked outside the restaurant and shivered at the abrupt change of temperature.

"This was really nice. Thank you, Quinn." Rachel said sincerely.

"It was my pleasure, Rach." The blonde smiled. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"I don't know." She did know. "What do you have in mind? What do_ you _want to do?"

_You, _Quinn thought. _Get your mind off the gutter, Fabray!_

"Umm, there's this bar that I like to go with my friends from the university. Are you up for it?" she opted for a more civilized reply.

"Sure!"

"Great! Let's go!"

After walking a short distance they walked into the bar Quinn was referring to. It was just outside campus and quite busy with people their age. They found a booth and Rachel took a seat while Quinn went to get their drinks.

A while later the blonde was back with their wine.

"This is a really nice place!" offered Rachel taking in the vintage style of the bar.

"It is, yeah. It's my favorite bar here and my favorite café is right across the street."

"Quinn!" they both heard someone say and turned their heads. A tall dark boy was walking their way.

"Hey, Josh! How are you?" Quinn asked politely.

"I'm great! Who's your friend?" he asked eyeing Rachel up and down. A pang of jealousy shot through Quinn.

"Yeah, this is Rachel. Rachel, this is Josh, a fellow student at Yale."

"_And _friend!" he corrected as he extended his hand to Rachel.

_We'll see._

Rachel shook his hand and smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, Josh." she said, polite as always.

"Oh the pleasure is all mine." He countered taking a seat next to Quinn. "Where have you been hiding this one?" he whispered to the blonde, making sure that Rachel couldn't hear.

Quinn just smiled gritting her teeth in anger.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked flashing a smile at his new acquaintance.

"Oh, thank you, but-"

"She already has one, Josh." Quinn cut her off raising her tone just a little bit.

They boy looked at the blonde curiously. "Well, whenever you need a refill, just let me know." he added looking at the brunette seductively.

"Thank you." Rachel smiled shyly and secretly enjoying the fact that Quinn seemed to be getting jealous.

"So, where are you from?" he asked interested to know the girl better.

Rachel opened her mouth to offer a reply but Quinn seemed to be more ready to the task.

"Ohio, like me. She now lives in New York and we were actually having a conversation before you came so if you please…" Quinn said glaring at him, full HBIC mode on.

"_Wow!" _he breathed, realizing he had stepped in someone's boundaries there. He got up and left but not before he reminded Rachel about the drink he was talking about.

Rachel just nodded. Of course she wouldn't remind him; he was tacky and above all she was there with Quinn. They may not have been an item but, given the kind of their 'relationship', accepting another's offer for a drink would just be rude. And her fathers had taught her better than that.

Rachel looked at Quinn, who was still fuming, and found her adorable and sexy. She tried to hide her smile, sucking in her lips, but her amusement was rather obvious. Quinn saw her reaction and huffed.

"You're enjoying this way too much." The blonde said evenly and turned to look elsewhere.

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at that remark, earning a death glare from the blonde.

Weirdly enough she felt her core throb at that.

The brunette leaned in and made sure Quinn was watching her when she said "Is that a crime?" her voice several tones lower than usual.

Quinn gulped, her eyes fixed on Rachel's full lips.

"No." she answered weakly.

"Good." Rachel countered drawing slow circles on Quinn's palm with her finger, sending shivers to the blonde. "'Cause I found that extremely arousing." She whispered.

"_Jesus, _Rach!" breathed Quinn, lowering her head and shutting her eyes. She could feel her panties moisten.

Rachel, on her part, was doing the best she could not to jump Quinn right there and then. She wanted to touch her, kiss the daylights out of her and she couldn't take the agony anymore.

"Wanna get out of here?" she asked Quinn, unsure of the blonde's answer. Quinn _had _made a point of taking things slow.

"Please." was the Yalie's reply.

_Thank Moses!_

* * *

Quinn grabbed Rachel by the hand and closed the door when they were both inside her dorm room. She had never hurried to get inside as much as did tonight. Without losing a second, she cupped Rachel's cheek with her hands and pulled her closer, crushing their lips together. The brunette let out a whimper at the feel of Quinn's soft lips; she had missed it too much.

Rachel pushed her tongue inside the blonde's mouth, earning a throaty moan. She was quite sure that the sounds Quinn was eliciting were a thousand times better than any song she had ever heard or performed; and that said a lot. She tugged on Quinn's jacket, bringing them closer. Their kiss was growing deeper, needier. Rachel felt her desire grow exponentially and, finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"You need to take these off!" she said, her voice resembling a growl.

Quinn, getting wetter by the second, did nothing but oblige. She started taking her jacket off when she realized the brunette was already unzipping her pants.

"Eager, aren't we?" she teased.

"You have no idea!" Rachel replied boldly, her hands already pulling on the blonde's shirt.

Quinn took off her pants, which were previously pooling around her ankles, and was now in just her underwear. The brunette, mesmerized by the view in front of her, took off her own coat and pushed Quinn to the bed. Before the blonde could register what was actually happening, Rachel straddled her. She could tell with a great amount of certainty that her panties were now officially ruined.

She assaulted the diva's mouth unremittingly, wanting nothing but to devour her.

"Why aren't you naked?" she breathed between kisses.

Before Rachel could even begin to answer, Quinn helped her up and out of her dress, leaving her with her panties.

_No bra? Fuck…_

She forcefully pulled the diva close to her, causing their bodies to crush. The skin to skin connection was nothing like either of them had experienced before. Electricity ran rapidly though the entire length of their bodies, sending a new, immense wave of arousal in their cores.

Quinn wasted no time and pushed Rachel on her bed. Climbing on top of her she looked deep inside brown disks, which were darker than ever before. With her fingertips she left a trail of goosebumps on Rachel's skin, leading to her collarbone. She kissed the brunette with fervor.

Rachel was reduced to a puddle. She felt helpless underneath Quinn and her constant attack on her senses. She brought her hands behind the blonde's back and with one smooth move, she unclasped her bra and took it off her. Quinn let out a small gasp when she felt her taut nipples graze Rachel's. The brunette was now craving for more. Her hands travelled to the south and helped Quinn get out of her black lace panties. If she didn't know any better, the fabric was entirely drenched, as was the one of her own panties, she was sure.

Quinn returned the favor and almost ripped Rachel's underwear off. She rested her hip between Rachel's legs, feeling the heat and wetness that had pooled there. She moaned deeply, already feeling on the verge of coming. Rachel, her feeling identical to Quinn's, leaned her head back relishing in the sweet friction created between their bodies. She pulled Quinn for a scorching kiss and breathed desperately in her mouth.

"I need you…inside."

Quinn almost cried at the brunette's command. She pushed her tongue even deeper in Rachel's mouth and ran her fingers between slick folds.

"God you're so wet." She breathed in Rachel's mouth, her words and fingers causing the singer to let out a throaty moan.

Refusing to waste any more time, Quinn dipped one finger inside Rachel. Having her slender finger surrounded by the brunette's tight walls, the blonde felt her stomach, her entire _being, _twist into a thousand knots. Nothing could compare to that moment.

She was wrong. _Almost _nothing.

"More." she heard Rachel plead in an animalistic tone.

Quinn pushed a second finger in easily, earning a gasp of pleasure from the diva. She attacked Rachel's neck, licking and biting in the process, while thrusting her fingers in and out with vigor.

"My God, you feel amazing, Rachel."

The singer, at the sound of the blonde's impossibly low and throaty voice, felt closer and closer to the edge. She guided her hand downwards and quickly found Quinn's dripping center. She let her fingers dive into thick wetness and circled the nob, sending incredible amounts of pleasure to the blonde's entire body.

Seeing Quinn in a state of ecstasy, moaning, barely able to breathe, she felt her walls tighten around the taller girl's skillful digits. Her body started trembling and Quinn took her hand and guided it lower.

"Inside." she uttered with difficulty, her own body already trembling as well.

Rachel dove into the blonde, automatically adding a second finger to the unbelievably tight entrance. She thrust her fingers inside with a steadily growing pace, while Quinn was doing exactly the same.

The rhythm of their moves matched, their bodies a mess of sweat and scorching skin creating an incomparable, delicious friction. Their bruised lips clashed, sharing sloppy, needy kisses, effectively muffling the salacious sounds their mouths inevitably emitted. It was a matter of seconds before their walls tightened to the greatest degree, making it next to impossible for their fingers to move further inside. Their moans got louder as they felt a white heat take over their trembling bodies and a without precedent long orgasm sent them both to bliss.

Neither girl moved. All they could do was stay put, inside each other's center, waiting for the hysterical blindness to wear off and their heart rate to come back to normal.

"That was..." Rachel started.

"...Jesus Christ!" Quinn finished resting her forehead on the singer's shoulder.

Quinn, breathing heavily, opened her eyes and took in the beautiful sight before her. Rachel had her eyes still closed, her swollen mouth slightly open, her chest rising with every deep breath she took. She pulled her fingers outside and the brunette followed suit, both missing the feeling instantly.

"You're beautiful." Quinn simply said as if it was the most common thing she could ever say to the still trembling diva.

Rachel immediately opened her eyes, shocked by her lover's words. She couldn't say anything. She just stared at Quinn. She had never thought she would hear that phrase come out from her mouth, and be addressed to her.

Quinn, tucked a strand of dark hair behind Rachel's ear and kissed her soundly. The brunette ran her hands down the beautiful girl's back, finding home at her bottom. She drew Quinn closer and plunged her tongue deep inside the blonde's hot mouth. At the feeling of Quinn's drenched pussy on her own, a new wave of arousal ran through her body, making her crave for more. With on swift move, she turned Quinn around and ended on top of her, her thighs straddling the blonde's waist.

"R-Rachel?" Quinn questioned slightly intimidated by the animalistic looks she was getting from the smaller girl.

Rachel crashed her lips on Quinn's. She bit her bottom one and licked it to soothe the delicious pain she had caused.

"We're nowhere near done." was all Rachel said before she led a way of wet kisses down Quinn's body.

* * *

**_Please Read & Review. The next update will be quite soon. I promise._**


	10. A Gentlewoman's Agreement

_**Hello, dear readers! Thank you all for all your comments/follows/favorites!**_

_**Here's the tenth chapter. As always, I hope you all like it and have as much fun as I had writing it.**_

_**I do NOT own Glee or any of its characters. What I own is a neck brace which I'm wearing right now, since my neck got messed up during moving. :(**_

_**Enjoy! **_

* * *

_**~ Chapter 10 – A Gentlewoman's Agreement ~**_

Quinn was certain she was going to die. She was one-hundred percent sure that her heart would give out any second now. She could feel it palpitate inside her chest, working its way through her skin and out of her body. All these years of training and her heart was not ready for this kind of excitement?

_Damn._

At least she'd go with a smile on her face.

She looked down.

_Jesus Christ!_

Rachel had set camp between her legs, peppering kisses on the hot skin surrounding Quinn's center, driving the blonde absolutely crazy. Quinn wanted more. Having the brunette so close to where she needed her the most was screwing up with her sanity and her heart rate; she was seriously concerned about her health.

Unable to take any more of this torture, Quinn lifted her pelvis, desperate for any kind of friction. Rachel, aware of the blonde's desire but unwilling to give her what she wanted just yet, ran her hot tongue close to Quinn's entrance, sending the blonde closer to insanity. She tried so hard not to laugh when she heard her actually growl.

Quinn was now raising her pelvis frantically, her knuckles white from gripping the sheet. She wanted to grab Rachel's head and shove it on her wet pussy, but summoning the last ounce of self-restraint, she decided not to; she didn't want to scare the girl off.

Rachel continued running her wet tongue anywhere but where Quinn needed her. She was now leaving hot trails along the length of the blonde's slit.

"_Raaaach…." _Quinn pleaded. She absolutely could not take it anymore.

"Yes, Quinn?" Rachel questioned smiling while leaving a small peck on the blonde's swollen clit.

"Ugh! You're such a tease!" Quinn huffed.

The brunette let out a small laugh. She was loving this.

"I am?" she asked faking innocence whilst teasing the blonde's clit ever so lightly with the tip of her tongue.

"You…_God…_y-you know you are."

The brunette was now using her hot wet muscle to map Quinn's outer lips.

"Oh _I'm sorry…" _she faked an apology, enjoying the view of a needy, sweaty, writhing Quinn before her. The blonde was at her mercy and the feeling was making her core throb like never before.

"_I need you…" _

Nope, she was wrong. _That _was.

"_Fuck…" _she breathed shutting her eyes. Those three words had almost made her come right there and then.

Flattening her tongue, she wasted no more time and ran it along Quinn's drenched slit, lapping it in the blonde's juices.

"Oh _fuck!" _gasped Quinn.

Rachel was amazed by how good the blonde tasted. At first, she was a little hesitant, which was natural since it was new territory. So she took it slow, enjoying the fact that Quinn was squirming beneath her. But soon she grew impatient and wanted nothing more but to devour the blonde. To give her the utmost pleasure.

She was now running circles around Quinn's throbbing clit, eliciting guttural moans from the blonde. The combination of the girl's taste and lustful sounds was driving her utterly insane. She had never felt this way. She had never felt so close to release without anyone even touching her.

Quinn was losing control. She was now moving frantically; her legs were quivering, her hands were flailing moving towards and touching anything within reach. The now wrinkled sheets, her thighs, Rachel's head between them. She looked down, pushed back the brunette's hair and what she saw caught her breath.

Rachel was staring at her, her chocolate eyes dark and filled with lust, her tongue darted out of her hot mouth, encircling her clit with vigor.

"Fuck, Rach…" she breathed throwing her head back on the pillow and grabbing the back of the brunette's head, gently pushing it against her throbbing center.

Rachel let out a deep, needy moan and ran her tongue down Quinn's folds. She teased the blonde's entrance, sending electrified jolts of pleasure deep inside Quinn. Without hesitation, she pushed her tongue inside, causing a new wave of wetness gash out and fill her mouth.

Quinn thought she was seeing stars. Her ears were ringing and she knew the volume of her moans was increased; she just couldn't hear them. Her pelvis was unwillingly moving up and down erratically and she could feel her walls tighten impossibly around the singer's attacking muscle.

Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn's legs, pinning the girl down and thus making it easier for her to continue her frenzied assault. The tip of her nose was nuzzling Quinn's swollen clit while her tongue was diving deeper and deeper inside the girl. Her head was spinning, her hands were trembling and she could feel herself actually drip on Quinn's sheets. She tried hard to steady the blonde but she wasn't that strong. She shoved her tongue one last time even deeper than before, feeling Quinn's walls clamp it down, and just as she heard the blonde let out a scream she pulled her skillful muscle out and ran in along Quinn's length finding an end on the pulsating clit and wrapping it with her hot lips, making the blonde's body spasm out of control.

"_Oh my God….oh my God…" _Quinn was desperately trying to catch her breath. Her hands on her face, pushing back her hair, her chest rising trying to fill with oxygen, her mouth dry from the screams.

Rachel's body was still buzzing from desire; she needed release immediately.

But she didn't care.

She was peppering kisses on Quinn's flush skin; her trembling thighs, her abdomen. She had just made Quinn Fabray come in her mouth and she couldn't stop relishing in the feeling.

She couldn't help but gloat a little bit, too.

It wasn't every day that she had a beautiful ex-cheerleader wrapped around her head. And it certainly wasn't every day that she had _the _Quinn Fabray scream in pleasure that _she _had given to her.

Moving upwards, she left a trail of wet kisses on Quinn's soft skin, ending on her neck. She wrapped her lips on the blonde's pulse point and moved to her mouth. She kissed Quinn soundly, locking her lips with hers. The blonde's heart swelled by the sweetness of Rachel's ministrations and responded to the kiss. She licked the brunette's bruised lips and pushed her tongue inside, deepening their kiss, tasting herself in Rachel's hot mouth.

"_Mmm…" _she moaned without even knowing.

Rachel smiled and breathed between kisses "Do you know how amazing you taste, Quinn?"

Quinn felt her stomach twist into knots and her center throb, a new wave of arousal taking over.

_Already?! How's that even possible?!_

"Rach…" she started.

"I'm serious! It's unbelievable!" stated Rachel, now looking deep inside hazel to make her point.

"_You're _unbelievable!" was Quinn's retort. She hadn't planned on saying it; it just came out of her mouth.

Rachel smiled, feeling proud of herself. She leaned down and planted another kiss on the blonde's lips.

Quinn wrapped her arms around the brunette's thin waist, bringing her even closer. She kissed the girl on top of her with fervor, tasting her and herself, the combination driving her crazy. She ran her hands up and down Rachel's back as their kiss grew deeper and needier. She was about to turn the girl over when she felt her grind her center on her hipbone, transferring the extreme wetness that had pooled between Rachel's folds. She could now feel how aroused the girl was, her need for release evident in her grinding motion.

Quinn moved her hands downwards, grabbing Rachel's ass. She lifted her leg a tad and pushed the brunette harder against her thigh.

"_Quinn…" _moaned Rachel inside the blonde's mouth as she brought her own thigh between the girl's legs.

Their fevered bodies were covered in sweat, sliding uncontrollably against one another. Rachel's breathing had become ragged, her hair was clinging on her forehead. They were sharing deep kisses, drowning each other's throaty moans as they were bringing each other closer and closer to the edge. Their bodies were aching, from both pleasure and exhaustion, but they couldn't care less. Sending each other to bliss was their sole objective and nothing mattered more.

Rachel's arms, which had been pinned on each side of Quinn's head helping her gain control of her movements and not crush the blonde, were giving in. Quinn, noticing that, moved her left hand up and gripped Rachel's neck – her right one never leaving her bottom, thus steadying the brunette on top of her. She pushed Rachel harder against her, causing the friction between them to intensify.

It was a matter of seconds before she felt Rachel's now stiff body spasm on top of her.

"Quinn!" screamed the brunette breathless, her mouth covered by the blonde's.

At the sound of her name, belted out so beautifully from Rachel's tasty lips, and the feeling of the girl's body trembling on top of her, rubbing on her clit relentlessly, Quinn felt another orgasm rip through her aching body, a white heat taking over it completely. She wrapped her lips around Rachel's pulse point, sucking on it, muffling her scream.

Feeling her body slowly relax from the intensity of her orgasm, she ran her tongue over the reddened skin to soothe it, sending shivers down Rachel's spine.

Rachel leaned down and kissed Quinn deeply. Her arms were tired, her legs were tired, even her mouth was tired. Her whole body was actually aching but she didn't care in the least. She wanted to kiss Quinn; she wanted to taste her delicious lips again.

Right there and then, it was the first time that Rachel thought she could never grow tired of kissing Quinn, of pleasing her.

Feeling her limbs shake involuntarily from exhaustion she moved to the side, lying right next to Quinn. The blonde turned to her left and looked deep inside brown disks. Their legs were still entangled, but neither girl was willing to move. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind Rachel's ear and with one swift move she leaned in and kissed her one more time.

It was a simple kiss. A sweet one. A lingering one. Just a lock of bruised lips. Yet it was so powerful that both girls could feel their hearts beat faster inside their chests.

They could talk. They could ask how they were feeling. They could finally straighten out what was going on between them. But neither did so.

They didn't want to.

At least not now.

They were just staring at each other, their eyes meeting and never losing focus. Quinn was running circles on Rachel's cheek with her thumb, while Rachel was softly caressing Quinn's side.

Moments later, they had both drifted off to sleep, their bodies still entangled, their shallow breathing matching each other's.

* * *

A loud laughter outside her dorm room woke Quinn up from her deep sleep. She could hear people walk by her door outside talking, letting her know that it was definitely not early in the morning since apparently everyone was up.

Well, almost everyone.

She could hear Rachel's slow and shallow breathing.

She slowly opened her eyes, her lids heavy from sleep. Her face was covered in dark hair, the brunette lying right beside her. She had her arm draped on the girl's side, their bodies closer than ever.

She smiled, enjoying the feeling of the brunette so close to her, and breathed in her scent.

_Perv _she thought, realizing she was sniffing Rachel's hair.

Another laughter sounded outside her door and she wondered what time it was. Just as she was about to reach for her phone on the floor she felt Rachel move beside her.

"Mmm…" moaned the smaller girl, pressing her back against Quinn's front.

The blonde gripped Rachel's side, savoring the feeling of the girl's bottom on her center. She tentatively pushed some of Rachel's hair to the side and pressed a light kiss on the girl's naked shoulder.

Rachel's eyes shot open. She turned around, exposing her back to the cold winter morning air in the room, to see a smiling Quinn look at her.

"Good morning." whispered the blonde.

Rachel just looked at her, her eyes goggly. She was in Quinn's bed. They had had sex – numerous times - in her bed, then they had fallen asleep and had just woken up with their bodies still entangled.

And Quinn wasn't freaking out.

A frown was forming on the blonde's face, making Rachel realize that her silence was worrying the taller girl.

"Good morning" she said, her voice gruff from sleep. And probably last night's screams.

A shiver ran through her body as she felt the cold on her back and then Quinn did something that made Rachel's heart swell in adoration.

She reached for the duvet and pulled it up to cover the brunette's small body.

It was a simple gesture. One that Rachel would have gladly done herself and without even thinking about it at all. But being on the receiving end of that gesture, let alone from Quinn, caused her stomach to twist into a thousand knots.

She smiled at the blonde and nuzzled inside the crook of her neck, breathing in her delicious scent.

Quinn's heart rate picked up just a little and she couldn't help but wonder whether the brunette could tell, being so close to her. She rested her arm on Rachel's side again and started rubbing her back slowly.

"Did you sleep okay?" she asked.

"Mmhm." was all Rachel could manage. Their bodies, being pressed up against each other had created delicious warmth and she let herself enjoy the feeling. "You?"

Quinn nodded.

"I did." She started. "Actually, I feel like I haven't slept like this in, I dunno, forever."

Rachel let out a small laugh, her breath causing goosebumps on Quinn's skin. "I know what you mean. I was thinking the exact same thing right now."

Quinn smiled, glad to hear that the brunette shared her feeling. She then shifted her body, creating a small distance between her and her lover, and blindly reached for her phone on the floor.

She grabbed it and looked at the screen.

"Wow!" her eyes goggled.

"What time is it?" asked Rachel. They had definitely slept in a little bit.

"It's noon."

Okay, they had slept in more than they thought.

"I believe I have never woken up after eight o'clock in my entire life." stated the brunette.

_Of course, _thought Quinn and turned again to smile at the brunette.

"Are you saying…" she started slowly, her hand caressing Rachel's bare abdomen "…that I'm a bad influence?"

Rachel let out a small gasp when she felt the blonde's soft touch. She pressed her body fully against Quinn's and her thigh found its way between the blonde's legs. She heard the girl moan almost inaudibly and smiled at her in the most seductive way she could manage without her morning coffee.

"Not at all." she said softly and pressed her lips fully on Quinn's chin. "If anything, I would like to feel your influence even more." She whispered, her eyes looking up to dilated hazel orbs.

_Aaaand we're back to horny! _thought Quinn.

"Is that so?" she asked with a husky voice.

Rachel nodded, the corners of her mouth curving slightly upwards. She loved to flirt with the blonde.

"I'll see what I can do then." she retorted, her voice now a few tones lower than before.

She leaned in and kissed the diva's jawline, slowly making her way to her neck. She shifted her weight and moved on top of Rachel, her hands gently pinning's the smaller girl's down. Quinn ran her tongue along the brunette's neckline and nipped on her pulse point. A deep purple bruise had formed there from last night. She heard a low, throaty moan leave Rachel's lips and felt herself get wet.

Just as had started to trail down the diva's body, the ringing of her phone brought her back to reality. She immediately felt Rachel's body tense and internally cursed whoever was calling.

"Just ignore it." she told the brunette and wrapped her lips around a dusky nipple. Teasing the bud with her tongue, she felt her lover tremble. She lightly sucked and wedged Rachel's now taut nipple between her lips.

She could not think of a better way to wake up.

The ringing had stopped and all she could now hear were the diva's soft moans. She moved her mouth to Rachel's left breast, softly massaging the other one with her warm hand. She rubbed the tip of her tongue around the bud and a wave of arousal ripped through her body ending deep inside her core when she heard Rachel moan her name.

It was growing to become her favorite sound.

Her least favorite sound was the one coming off her yet again ringing phone.

"_Goddammit…_" she cursed giving up.

Rachel was cursing internally.

The brunette let out a deep breath and petted Quinn's head.

"Maybe it's important. You should pick up." she advised softly.

Quinn breathed out, obviously annoyed by whoever was cockblocking her and reached for her phone.

"What?" she asked without even checking who it was.

Rachel couldn't help but laugh a little.

_She's cute when she's angry. _

She smiled.

Then horror.

_Wait. What? "Cute"? _

Rachel had always thought that Quinn was beautiful. She had said so a number of times. She had always found her sexy. But she had absolutely never found her 'cute'. Especially when the blonde was angry. She had been the target of her anger way too many times and she had thought that Quinn was downright scary. She never let her know though, but still.

Now she thought she was _cute?_

_Am I crushing on Quinn?_

"I'll let you know if we come. Bye." She heard Quinn say on the phone before hanging up. She had completely zoned out before.

The ex-cheerleader sighed and dropped her phone on the floor again.

"That was my friend, Jamie, reminding me of a party tonight. Do you wanna go?"

"Oh…yeah sure. Why not?" offered Rachel.

"Great. If you don't feel like it later, though, let me know. We can do whatever you want."

The small diva smiled and placed a light kiss on Quinn's cheek. Their previous mood was ruined but she liked the fact that the blonde valued her wishes so much.

"I'm going to take a shower. Stay here." She said adding a wink.

"Sure." Rachel smiled.

"Hey, do you want to go out for breakfast? Or lunch?" the blonde laughed "Brunch?"

The brunette laughed heartedly at her lover's silliness.

"Sounds like a good idea. But after I have a shower too."

"Great!" exclaimed Quinn before she walked out of her room beaming.

* * *

Rachel was sitting opposite Quinn in the blonde's favorite café. They were both munching on their sandwiches, stealing glances at each other, sharing awkward smiles. They were extremely silent, compared to last night; or other nights before that.

There was tension between them but neither of them made a move to address it.

Until Rachel finally did, that is.

"This is weird." She blurted out.

"Uhm, do you need to order something else?" Quinn asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"And you're obviously not talking about your sandwich." Quinn nodded cursing herself.

"What? No! The sandwich is just fine. _This _is weird." she explained gesturing between them.

"Oh." The blonde lowered her head finally understanding. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. However, if she was honest with herself, she agreed with the diva one hundred percent. "It is, yeah." she added.

"Just a little."

"A tad."

"Compared to other times we spent together."

"Of course."

"Why do you think that is?" Rachel genuinely asked.

"Uhm…I don't know."

"Do you think it's because we had sex?"

"We've had sex before, Rach."

"Certainly, Quinn. But that was different. We were drunk. And if my memory doesn't deceive me, we woke up way worse than today."

"Today was nice, though."

"It was perfect."

They both smiled.

Quinn cleared her throat and continued.

"_And _we have kissed before and we weren't drunk."

"You're right."

"So, why is it weird?" Quinn asked.

"It's just a little weird." Rachel offered.

"Just a tad."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"What? No! Rach, how could you think that?" the blonde was shocked.

"I dunno. If it feels weird, I guess you'll want me to leave."

"It doesn't feel _that _weird. And I don't want you to leave." Quinn leaned in and looked deep inside the brunette's eyes to make her point. "Rach, this is the first time that we've sat down and shared a meal after a night of mind-blowing sex. Of course, it's weird."

"Do you think it was mind-blowing?" Rachel was beaming.

"This is not the point but yes. Stop smiling like that. You look like a dork." Quinn warned playfully. "You don't?" she asked.

"Don't what?" Rachel asked absent-mindedly.

_Quinn Fabray thinks we had mind-blowing sex._

"Don't you think it was mind-blowing?" asked the blonde, now worried about what the answer might be.

"Earth-shuttering."

"Oh." She felt her skin flush and she was sure her cheeks were of a deep red tint.

"Oh." Rachel smiled. It was one of the few times that she had the opportunity to see Quinn shy. "You're right, by the way. That is probably why we feel this way."

The blonde nodded and took a sip of her coffee.

"How do _you_ feel?" Rachel couldn't hold it in. She felt like this was the time and she didn't hesitate to ask.

"How do you mean?"

"Quinn…" warned the brunette.

"This is _the talk, _isn't it?"

"I guess so."

"We have postponed it for too long."

Rachel was growing impatient. They _had _postponed it for way too long. And this seemed like the right time to have it.

Quinn took a deep breath. She didn't know where to begin.

Rachel decided to give the blonde a break and started talking.

"Quinn, I am attracted to you." She blurted out.

The blonde was slightly taken aback. Not by the confession itself – she obviously could tell Rachel was attracted to her – but hearing the words come out of the girl's mouth was kind of shocking.

"I'm attracted to you too, Rach." She offered sincerely.

"It was hard for me to get used to the very fact, given our past."

"I know. Realizing that I'm gay was hard enough. Realizing that I want you, after what we've been through, what I have put you through, was even harder, Rach." Quinn was feeling bolder.

Rachel was dumbfounded. Her mouth agape, she was just staring at Quinn.

"R-Rachel?"

Silence.

"You're gay?" finally asked the brunette.

Quinn looked at her frowning for a second and then burst out laughing, turning the heads of a few habitués in the café.

Her laughter died when she realized the diva was dead serious.

"You're not kidding." She muttered. Clearing her throat, she leaned in and looked yet again into chocolate orbs. "Rach, of course I'm gay. Surely, you could think I was bisexual, but…" Quinn paused for a second, she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable "…but I realized that I'm not as attracted to boys as I am to girls."

Rachel was silent, still staring at her.

"You're gay." She stated, slowly wrapping her head around the idea.

"I am."

"And you want me."

Quinn felt a slight feeling of panic take her over.

_Right._

She had just blurted it out. It was true, but she had never meant to say it; especially bluntly like that.

"I do."

Rachel shook her head. Maybe she was hallucinating.

"You want _me."_

Quinn sighed.

"Rachel, I want you." She smiled shyly at the diva. "Could you not really tell fr-…" she paused and looked around before she continued, this time whispering "...from last night?"

Rachel's throat was dry. She needed to hydrate.

She picked up her glass of water and took a sip.

"What about David?" she asked hesitantly.

"_What?"_

"David?" asked the brunette again, wondering what the blonde's confusion was all about. "Your _boyfriend."_

"What boyfriend? It's been over since aft-"

_Oh. My. God. She doesn't know I was single this whole time._

Rachel shook her head. She must have misheard. "Excuse me?"

Quinn felt the panic intensify.

"Rach, I broke up with David a while ago." She offered weakly.

The brunette's eyes bulged.

"When?"

"Uhm, before Christmas?"

Rachel's memories of Puck's Christmas party flashed before her eyes. She remembered Quinn telling her about David for the first time. She remembered feeling jealous of that stupid professor. She clearly remembered Quinn _neglecting _to tell her that they weren't still together. She remembered all the times she thought about Quinn and then a shirtless young professor with a goatee popped into her head, the wind pushing his dark wavy hair back, ruining her daydreaming. Most of all, she remembered how guilty she felt after making out with the blonde at the New Year's Eve party in New York and, especially, after last night, when her whole body was buzzing from desire, pleasure and want for the blonde but the fact that she was someone else's kept her back, a thick black feeling of guilt running through her. She had chosen to ignore it at first, thinking that it was Quinn's choice after all, but since they were having _the talk, _she thought it was the perfect time to broach the subject of _the boyfriend._

But there was no boyfriend anymore.

There hadn't been a boyfriend since before Christmas. Which meant, Quinn had broken up with him probably after their drunken night together.

_Oh…_

A peculiar mixed feeling of satisfaction _and _anger formed inside Rachel.

"And you didn't think you could let me know?" she asked the blonde bitterly.

"Rach, I'm so sorry." _Shit! _"I'm an idiot. You're right! Of course I should have told you."

The brunette was saying nothing at all. She just looked at Quinn, patiently hearing her explain.

"The thing is, and I'm not proud of that…" Quinn started "…the thing is that I completely forgot about him." She sighed. "I have been dealing with all these feelings about me and my _sexuality _that I totally forgot to tell you. I'm sorry, Rach."

Rachel was narrowing her eyes, sizing the blonde up. She huffed and folding her arms in front of her chest she leaned back in her chair. "You're an idiot." She stated.

Quinn instantly relaxed and laughed out loud.

"I am. I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry." Rachel warned. "It's unaccustomed, thus weird."

Quinn laughed again and nodded.

"So, wait…" she began, suddenly taking in all the information "…all this time, you thought you were what? My 'mistress'?" she laughed again.

"You're an idiot." Rachel stated again. "And yes, to answer your question. Something like that. I wanted to address the issue but I couldn't."

"Why couldn't you?"

"Because…I like spending time with you. And I feared that if I broached the subject, I would ruin everything."

Quinn smiled. She knew the feeling.

Rachel was looking at anywhere but the blonde. She was feeling shy again.

"I want you, Quinn."

Silence.

_Did she hear what I said?_

The small diva looked up. Quinn's eyes were bulged, piercing through her.

"I do. And I believe we have a great thing here. And since you want me too…" Rachel sighed "…I'm sorry, it's rather difficult for me to say the actual words of you feeling that way for me. Either way, we both admitted that we want each other. And there's undebatable chemistry between us – wait, do you think it was sexual tension all that time back in High school? – Anyway, where was I? Ah yes! We have chemistry, Quinn. The sex is unbelievable. You said so yourself. So, I propose we keep things the way they are. I like things the way they are now. And there's surely no need to complicate things, is there? We're just two girls, who know each other well and have amazing sex. What do you think?"

Quinn was still looking at her baffled.

"Quinn?" urged Rachel.

The blonde cleared her throat, finally remembering that she had a voice.

"Like friends with benefits?" she asked the diva sincerely. She liked the idea.

"You could say so, yes." Rachel replied.

Quinn smirked.

"I'm in."

They shared a small laughter and carried on sipping their coffees. Little did they know that they would both soon regret that very agreement.

* * *

Please please Read & Review. Need to know if you're into the progression of the story. Cheers!


	11. Dirty Ginger And Other Roots

_******I know, I know. I have no excuses. It has taken me forever to upload and it's been killing me, one day at a time. Trust me. The thing is, between work and several projects I have taken on, along with -what people seem to refer to as 'writer's block'- I didn't have the chance to upload. And whenever I had time to sit down and write, although I had a bunch of ideas, I just couldn't put them into words. I believe I'm out of it. And Hopefully, you will like this chapter/come back.**_

_**As always, I do NOT own Glee or any of its characters. But I do own my mistakes and pray for them to be few, 'cause I edited this chapter while slightly drunk.**_

_**Thank you all for reading this story. I sincerely hope you like it and review it, as your feedback means the world to me. :D**_

* * *

_**~ Chapter 11 - Dirty Ginger And Other Roots ~**_

"OhmyGod! OhmyGod!" breathed Rachel as she hid inside the crook of Quinn's neck.

The blonde's heart swelled up at the singer's intimacy and she couldn't help but worry whether her faster heartbeat was something that Rachel could pick up on.

"You okay there?" she asked, her voice tinted with slight concern.

"I cannot believe you did this."

"ME?!" asked Quinn incredulously. "How's this _my _fault?"

"It was _you _who suggested I watch this god-awful movie!" spat the brunette, adding a playful jab at the blonde's right rib before she returned her hands to their previous place; her eyes.

Quinn glanced at the screen of her laptop where the protagonist's best friend was getting eaten by sight-impaired, flesh-eating, human-like monsters.

"All right, I'll admit it's kind of gory" she said as she pulled back to see Rachel hesitantly lower her hands, thus no more shielding herself from the monstrosities that have been happening on screen for a while.

Quinn was finding the diva more adorable by the minute.

"_Kind of?" _asked Rachel, now fully looking at the laptop screen on Quinn's bed. "Quinn, that woman swam in, literally, a pool of blood!"

The blonde chuckled, earning a death stare from the diva.

"_Literally_, it was a pool of corn syrup." she quipped.

"And those _things. _The chewing sounds that they made. Ugh…" Rachel was now staring at the titles scrolling down the screen. "All that blood…" she added with a grimace.

Although Quinn had enjoyed having Rachel close to her – she had this satisfactory feeling that she was protecting the brunette – she was now feeling a little guilty. Not only had Rachel not enjoyed the movie, but she had also been scarred for eternity, as the diva had previously stated.

"Okay" she said as she turned off her computer. "Maybe it wasn't the greatest choice for your first scary movie."

The brunette just blankly stared at her. _Ya think?!_

"In my defense, I told you it was fierce and that you shouldn't watch it alone, though." added the blonde, scratching the back of her head.

"You did do that." answered Rachel. "All right, maybe it's partly your fault then." She added, failing to hide the teasing smirk that was forming on her lips.

Quinn noticed it right away and, smiling, she tugged on the brunette's hand to bring her closer.

Rachel, of course, obliged.

"Maybe, next time we'll watch something…" she paused, searching for the right choice of words as the small diva was settling on her lap "…less bloody."

Rachel softly shook her head as she brought her hands up Quinn's collar, clenching them around a fistful of the blonde's T-shirt.

"Nuh-uh." She said, her dark eyes finding hazel.

Quinn was mesmerized by the brunette's inviting look. She had, very much to her pleasure, found out that the smaller girl was a very sexual person – unlike what her perception of the singer was during the early years of High School – and she had been enjoying every touch, look and, all in all, sensory overload Rachel was giving her since they first slept together.

"Nuh-uh?" she questioned.

"Nuh-uh." repeated Rachel in a whisper. She crawled up the blonde's body, bringing their clad centers incredibly close, thus causing an almost inaudible moan to escape Quinn's lips. "_Next time, _I'm sticking to musicals. I'm not going to go through _that _ever again."

Quinn chuckled softly.

"I know that when you go back to New York, you're going to watch – I dunno – maybe a dozen of musicals just to get rid of the images of that movie that are currently infesting your mind, Rach, but…" the blonde paused sliding the palms of her hands up the brunette's thighs "…I have taken on the role of introducing you to the horror genre and I'm not giving up that easily." She added smirking.

Rachel laughed lightly and couldn't help but blush a little bit at the realization that Quinn knew her that well. She had already made a list of the musical marathon she was going to hold with Kurt once back in the Big Apple. She was going to start and end it with 'Funny Girl' and throw in some 'My Fair Lady', 'Singing in the Rain', 'Wizard of Oz' and 'West Side Story' in the middle.

"So what do you suggest we watch next time? Although, I must tell you, Quinn, I'm inclined to believe I'm not going to agree." teased the brunette, her cheeks now tinted with the lightest hue of red as she felt the blonde softly grip her sides.

"I think you are." answered Quinn feeling sure of herself. "You, Ms. Berry, are a sucker for the classics, so I'm simply going to introduce you to Mr. Norman Bates, Mr. Michael Myers and probably Mr. Hannibal Lecter."

"Okay, I'm not certain about the first two but I _know_ the third name you mentioned is definitely not one of an actor." said Rachel, now feeling a little concerned about what kind of movies her friend was going to make her watch next time.

Quinn laughed out loud. The brunette's adorableness was taking over her brain. And then, without even giving herself a chance to reconsider, she leaned up and closed her lips around Rachel's.

The kiss was small and simple. A sweet lock of lips. The intimacy that laced it, though, made both of their hearts swell.

The blonde broke the kiss and looked up catching Rachel's chocolate eyes. "_Don't _google the names I just mentioned."

The brunette pulled back, once again surprised by how accurate the blonde's predictions were.

"Am I _that _predictable?" she voiced her thoughts. Except for her parents she had never met another person who was spot-on when it came to her.

Quinn smiled and softly ran her thumbs on Rachel's stomach.

"No, you're not. Especially considering our…_status…_I wouldn't describe you as a predictable person; Quite the opposite, in fact."

The small girl nodded, knowing exactly what the blonde meant. Being _friends with benefits _with Quinn Fabray was not something that people would call typical of her.

"Touché…" she offered before adding "You just surprised me with how dead-on you were before, with the googling of the names and the impending musical marathon and all."

Quinn gave her a lopsided smile and shrugged. "I don't know. I just pay attention, I guess."

She suddenly wasn't sure if that was intentional or a slip of the tongue.

Rachel took advantage of the fact that Quinn was looking down and goggled her eyes, taken aback by the sweet comment the blonde had just made. She had had people pay attention to her before. Sure, it took Finn approximately a year to do so. It took a makeover for Brody to pay attention (the boy had shown interest before but not nearly as much as he did afterwards). And, surely, obsessive/stalker Jacob didn't exactly count. And Jesse had plotted against her, so it was mandatory for him to pay attention.

But it wasn't for Quinn.

The brunette brought her fingers under Quinn's chin and kissed the blonde soundly.

Warm lips found soft ones, lightly grazing against each other, warm breaths mingled creating an intoxicating concoction shooting from the girls' brains straight to their core.

Rachel clenched her fist harder around Quinn's top before she softly and without realizing ground her center on the blonde's, the touch earning moan from the both of them. Quinn gripped harder on the diva's sides, suddenly wanting more.

Much more.

She raised her hand and grabbed Rachel by the back of her neck, bringing her closer. She kissed the girl on top hard, her lips colliding with their counterparts'. Taking advantage of Rachel's open-mouthed moan she darted her tongue inside, deepening the kiss, claiming the brunette's mouth. Their hot muscles were now dwelling for dominance, their heart rates severely picking up and, soon enough, their skin felt like it was on fire.

Rachel's chest burnt. How had she come to this? How was she straddling Quinn, kissing the life out of her? When had she become this free, chance-taking person that had developed a no-strings attached relationship with her high school friend and former nemesis?

Those were good questions that echoed in the very back of her mind. However, they weren't even remotely worthy of her concern right now, especially when Quinn's thumb was rubbing circles on the side of her neck. When Quinn's sizzling tongue was sliding on her lips.

Their kiss had evolved from that gentle, tentative lock of lips to this scorching dwell. It tasted of need and desperation.

Rachel, still fisting the blonde's T-shirt, almost tore it to pieces when she pulled hard on it, wanting to close any kind of distance with Quinn. She wrapped her hands around the blonde's neck and moaned into their kiss.

Quinn lowered her hands and started pulling up Rachel's top. But, unfortunately, her sensual reverie came to an abrupt end when her cellphone's ringtone started blaring.

"_Goddamnit!" _she muttered under her breath.

Rachel gave her a sweet peck on her lips and let out a sigh.

"You're a popular girl, Quinn. You're bound to have a lot of phone calls." quipped the brunette, feeling a little angry at whoever was lady-cockblocking her for the second time today.

The blonde's phone had rung several times, signaling either calls or text messages. Quinn had let Rachel know about the different kind of options they had on how and with whom they were invited to spend their Saturday night at Yale. The most prevailing option being a party held at a pub nearby; they had been invited by Quinn's closest friends there, Jamie.

Rachel didn't know anything other than that about Jamie and she was looking forward to getting to know the people that the blonde was associated with now. The ex-cheerleader was definitely not the same person she used to be – much like she wasn't either – and the brunette was admittedly curious to see what kind of friends Quinn had made there.

She slid off Quinn, bemoaning the loss of contact, giving the blonde space to reach for her phone and answer it.

"Hey J!" said the blonde, greeting the caller.

_Quite clingy this Jamie guy, _Rachel thought. _This is the fifth time he's called today._

"I dunno, probably. Yeah. What time is it now?" said Quinn quickly glancing at the time on the screen of her phone. It was 7 pm. They had stayed in talking and watching 'The Descent' in the afternoon, after their breakfast and talk at the café.

"Nothing, just hanging." the blonde added nonchalantly.

_A little more than that, _thought the brunette, guessing Jamie had just asked what they were doing and feeling a little hurt that Quinn hadn't told the truth to her friend. '_Just hanging.' Pfft. _

Rachel shook her head and rolled her eyes at her own ludicrous thoughts.

_What did you expect, Rachel? How would she respond to her friend on the phone. 'Hey, I was just shoving my tongue in Rachel's mouth and we were hoping of having sex, because that's what we do now. We have sex; no strings attached and all that._

Rachel laughed at her inner monologue – or rather dialogue, earning a strange look by Quinn.

_Or maybe she didn't want to tell the truth about what we were doing, because she and Jamie are more than friends! _

The wheels in her brain were spinning out of control. Soon enough, though, she realized she was being ridiculous and rid herself of her silly thoughts. It wasn't proper for Quinn to share their _intimate _moments with anyone and that was something admirable and surely not worthy of question by the brunette.

"Okay, bye. See you." offered the blonde before hanging up her phone. "That was Jamie." She informed the brunette, turning to look at her.

"Mmhm." Rachel nodded.

"Do you wanna go to this thing I told you about? The party at 'Dirty Ginger's'?" inquired the blonde.

"Sure! Why not?" replied Rachel excited.

"I was promised it's going to be fun. Plus, you're going to meet some of my friends here. But only if you want to." rushed Quinn.

She was looking forward to having Rachel meet her Yalie friends, but she wasn't sure the brunette shared the feeling.

"Relax, Quinn. I do want to go there and I do want to meet your friends." Rachel assured, calming the blonde's nerves.

"Okay."

"Okay." offered Rachel sending a soft smile Quinn's way. "Now, should we start getting ready?" she asked standing up, her voice filled with excitement.

Quinn got off the bed, feeling a mixture of enthusiasm and nervousness kick in. "Sure. That's a good idea."

"Great!" Rachel clapped her hands. "Now, what to wear? _What…to…wear_?" she muttered, tapping her finger pensively on her bottom lip, ignorant of the mischievous thoughts and dirty responses that were reeling inside the blonde's mind.

* * *

Strolling down the street to Dirty Ginger's Rachel caught herself falling behind every now and then, allowing Quinn to walk in front of her, thus giving her the chance to steal an appreciative glance on the blonde's butt.

She couldn't help but wonder how crude she was being, but checking Quinn out once again, she quickly forgave herself.

The girl _did _have a sinfully nice butt.

The former cheerleader was wearing a black leather jacket, but beneath it there was a tight-fitting dark blue dress, which was beautifully contrasting her light complexion and blonde hair. Jesse's words echoed faintly in Rachel's mind.

_The ghost of Grace Kelly._

The brunette found herself getting jealous of Jesse and his more than accurate description of the girl.

She should be the one coming up with it.

_Should?_

Quinn turned to look at the seemingly distracted diva and sent a smile her way.

"You okay there?" she questioned.

Rachel shook her head, sobering up from her haze.

"Yeah, yeah. How far is this place?" she diverted.

That didn't slip past her companion.

"It's just up ahead." replied the blonde motioning forward with her head to her friend.

Rachel nodded and not a minute later they were opening the door to Dirty Ginger's.

The place was filled with people – most likely Yalies, of course. Rock n' Roll music was blaring through the speakers, almost covering the patrons' voices talking to each other. There were two large windows on each side of the door, overlooking the busy Saturday night New Haven street and the walls were decorated with hundreds of pictures, in various shapes and sizes, of what seemed like patrons of the place having fun in the very establishment.

It was not a place which Rachel was accustomed to, but it was warm and welcoming and it seemed like a bar that she could definitely feel comfortable in.

Struggling to get though the sea of people, it was a matter of seconds before Rachel lost sight of Quinn. It was inevitable, really.

Bodies were crashing onto hers, different kinds of conversations were reaching her ears and not one familiar person around her. Except for Quinn, who she had no sight of.

That's when panic kicked in.

She had never been a fan of crowds. She has always felt safe in familiar places. Her room, her house, in the company of her loving parents or close friends and oddly enough, at school. Even though it was at times the most unwelcoming place that could ever exist, she had always found comfort, _home _one could venture, in the Glee club or the auditorium. But whenever she found herself in new places, or even worse, crowded places, she could feel her own heart palpitate in her mouth, an ominous feeling of an impending bad situation, fill her senses. She had most likely had what people and psychologists refer to as panic attacks once or twice thus far, but she had never bothered to check it. She was certain, that would induce more panic.

Strangers' bodies were bumping on to hers and she started feeling light-headed. Her heartbeat was considerably faster. She needed to get out of there immediately.

She started pushing back the people inhabiting the pub, a sudden need of oxygen hitting her hard, when a hand grabbed her shoulder, immediately relaxing her. Turning around she saw a pair of hazel orbs, tinted with slight concern look at her.

"You okay? I lost you." shouted the blonde in order for Rachel to hear, barely covering the noise of the chatter of the people around them.

The singer suddenly felt calmer. She just nodded.

Quinn struggled to get closer to the small girl and managed to grab her hand.

"Come on. I see Jamie in the back with a reserved booth. It's not as crowded as it is here." She reassured, almost as if she could tell what was going through Rachel's mind.

The brunette followed her friend, feeling herself relax more and more. Maybe it was the promise that it wasn't going to be as crowded where they were to sit. Maybe it was Quinn holding her hand.

She didn't know.

A couple of shoves to the patrons around her and a few worried looks from the blonde later, they reached a more secluded area of the pub and headed for a booth, currently used by a girl and a couple of guys.

"Hey there!" exclaimed the blonde, her greeting directed to the occupants of the booth.

"Quinn!" yelled a tall, handsome young man standing up; his companion followed suit.

_That's probably Jamie, _Rachel presumed.

"Ryan, hey!" Quinn responded.

_Or not._

"Hey, 'bout time you two showed up!" came the girl's reply. She was a tall, tan brunette; dressed in tight jeans and a rather fitting top complimenting her slim body and ample breasts, she was, without a doubt, one of the most attractive girls in the place.

"Hey girls!" greeted the third guy gesturing a hello to the girls.

"Everybody, this is Rachel!" sounded Quinn. "This is Ryan, Thomas and Jamie!" she added motioning with her hand to the guys and the brunette respectively.

_Jamie is a girl?_

Deciding not to let her surprise show, Rachel smiled her famous mega-watt smile and greeted. "Hey everyone, nice to meet you!"

_Nice to meet you too's _sounded from everyone's lips and soon they all sat down in the booth.

_Jamie is a girl? _

'This place is packed! What happened?" asked Quinn, her question addressed to Jamie.

"I dunno! I guess the invitation was extended to lots of people and…_this…_happened!" she replied gesturing to the rest of the establishment. "I know it's not to your liking but we found this booth, at least."

"Nuh, nuh, it's okay!" came Quinn's reply.

The blonde leaned in and whispered in Rachel's ear. "I'm not exactly a fan of crowded places, that's why she said that." She explained.

"That's all right." retorted the brunette, feeling relieved that Quinn shared her aversion of crowds. "I'm sure you noticed I'm not either."

The blonde looked at her, her gaze burning holes in Rachel's mind. Nothing was said, nothing was uttered. Just a small, reassuring squeeze of the brunette's hand and the message was conveyed.

_I know. _

_I got you. _

_Don't worry._

They seemed to have been having a staring contest because Jamie's hand was suddenly blocking their sight of each other.

"Earth to Quinn and Rachel! You with us, guys?"

Quinn shook her head, coming back to reality.

"Yeah, yeah."

"_I said, _do you wanna go somewhere else?" inquired the gorgeous brunette.

Quinn looked at Rachel who shook her head and answered "No, it's okay. So how have you guys been?" she asked, interested in her friends.

It was not that she hadn't seen them for a while or anything. It was just that she was sort of nervous. This was the first time her Yalie friends met any of her older ones. And the first friend that they were meeting was Rachel, of all people. Her old enemy, who she became friends with later, in senior year of High School; Rachel, who she was currently having an open relationship with.

On the other hand, she didn't think Santana was a better option.

Ryan and Thomas filled her in on their latest endeavors, including a stray puppy and a trip to the vet's, while Jamie was listening to her friend's story and not so discretely looking at Rachel.

It didn't go unnoticed by Quinn. Nor Rachel, although she seemed invested in Ryan and Thomas's colorful story.

"So, what's her deal?" wondered Jamie, whispering in the blonde's ear.

"What do you mean?" Quinn questioned as kindly as she could.

"Whoa, I didn't mean anything, Q. Just, who is she? I know you know her from High School and stuff, but is she like your best friend?"

Quinn glanced briefly at the brunette, who was now engaged in a conversation about animal mistreatment with the guys.

"I wouldn't describe her as my best friend – Santana and Brittany are – but she is a very close friend of mine. We've gone through a lot." Quinn offered sincerely.

"I see." said Jamie. "She seems nice."

"She is." assured the blonde looking at the singer, feeling she should add a bunch of adjectives to that description.

_Hot. Smart. _

Her eyes roamed on Rachel's attire, enjoying the free view of her luscious figure provided by the revealing little black dress the brunette was wearing.

_Intoxicating._

"Close friends, huh?" asked her Yalie brunette friend with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah." replied the blonde, not even bothering to sound convincing.

A couple of hours had passed and Rachel was starting to feel tired. She had made small talk with Quinn's friends – especially Ryan and Thomas. Shortly after engaging in a conversation with them she had found out they were a couple. And a cute one indeed. Her mind had travelled back to her best friend back in New York and how sad she felt seeing him go through all the pain when he broke up with Blaine.

Maybe they would get past their problems and get back together soon, she hoped.

She had talked to Jamie, as well. The Yalie was quite smart, confident and rather astonishing.

If Rachel was being honest with herself, she wasn't a fan of the girl.

She had everything she had always envied in other girls.

Of course, Rachel knew she was smart. But she never thought of herself as a confident person; quite the opposite in fact. How could she, really? Except for a little while after Kurt's makeover, she had always been the dork with the weird dresses and the argyle. Everyone, even her sad count of boyfriends in the past, had put an emphasis on it.

During the last few months, though, she had tasted what seemed like routine to girls like Jamie. Or Quinn.

She had been hit on in bars and cafés, or at school. She had been checked out walking down the NY streets. By both guys and girls.

She had been given the chance to see what it's like to be wanted just by just herr looks.

And she had enjoyed every minute of it.

And now, here she was, sitting in a booth at a pub in New Haven, being chatted up by Quinn's two gay friends, while the blonde was engaged in a conversation with her friend Jamie by the bar. The tall brunette was now touching Quinn's forearm, moving slightly closer to her.

A pang of jealousy shot through Rachel.

_Who is this person?_

Quinn gave a small smile to Jamie and stole a brief glance at her company's booth, before turning to pass the bartender a couple of bills.

Moments later she showed up with Jamie, both holding shots in their hands.

"What are those?" inquired Rachel, already dreading the answer.

Quinn looked at her and smiled sheepishly, but as she opened her mouth to offer a reply, Jamie cut her off.

"These, lovely Rachel, are tequila shots. Surely, you're familiar with them." she said, her voice hued with sarcasm, that didn't go unnoticed.

The smaller brunette smiled and licked the front of her teeth.

"I am. Thank you, Jamie."

Quinn was watching the interaction confused.

Ryan stepped up and started passing the shots to everyone. "Babe, I would never betray you, but if tequila was a guy, I would definitely cheat on you with him."

Thomas just stared at him.

"Good to know, honey." He muttered, unable to think anything better to respond with.

Rachel brought the shot near her nose to smell the liquor, immediately grimacing. She didn't think anyone was watching.

She was wrong.

Seeing Quinn chuckle, she felt her cheeks flush.

"Just one shot." promised Quinn, as she knew what was going through the brunette's mind.

Somehow, the blonde's promise was not quite as reassuring as she thought it would be.

And she was right.

Four more rounds of tequila shots and two rounds of Jagerbombs later, she and Quinn were stumbling through the door to the latter's dorm room.

"You promised it was going to be _one _shot!" mumbled Rachel as she started taking her clothes off the moment she stepped foot inside the room.

Quinn, who had drank the exact amount of alcohol as the brunette but wasn't as intoxicated as Rachel seemed to be, chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Rach. I didn't order the rest of them." she offered, providing an excuse.

The tipsy diva seemed to be surprised.

"You're right." she said. "You're forgiven then."

Quinn couldn't help but laugh at her companion's antics.

"Jamie is not forgiven, though, I'll have you know!"

The blonde was taken slightly aback.

"She's not?" she asked.

"Nope!"

"Why, Rach?"

"She…she…she just isn't!" was Rachel's weak reply as she seemed to be struggling to get out of her dress.

Quinn rushed to help the girl out of her clothes, successfully earning a swooning look from the brunette.

Rachel just stared into Quinn's eyes and just when the latter was about to close the distance between them, the smaller girl stated, "I'm sleepy."

The blonde smiled at her adoringly and tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

"Let's get you into bed, then."

The singer, excited at her friend's suggestion, let out a small squeal and pecked Quinn's lips before she rushed to get under the covers in the blonde's bed.

Quinn, silently laughing at Rachel's rather drunken and quite adorable behavior, changed out of her clothes and followed the brunette in bed.

Settling under the duvet and reveling in the warmth created by it and the proximity of Rachel's body, she caught herself feeling something that she hadn't felt in a long time. She had been feeling it all along but the realization had just dawned on her.

She felt content.

She felt full.

Rachel crawled closer to the blonde and pecked her once again on the lips.

"Goodnight, Quinn." she said sweetly, and it was a matter of seconds before Quinn detected the even pattern of her breathing, letting her know Rachel was fast asleep.

"Goodnight, Rach." she offered back and soon enough she followed the other girl into the land of dreams.

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**_Lots to come for these two. And a new chapter is to be expected by Monday or Tuesday (work's been killing me). Please, R & R :)_**


	12. Locomotive

_**Heh heh, thought I would surprise you and update sooner! Sure, this is a shorter update. Sure, I have to go to work in about 3 hours and work for about 15 hours (I've got two jobs at the weekends) with hardly 2 hours of sleep. But I felt inspired and wrote this chapter and for some reason, I liked it a lot. And I sincerely hope you do too. :) *aggressively pleads for reviews***_

_**I do NOT own Glee or any of its characters. Just the ones I added myself.  
**_

_**A/N: As for the previous chapter, I know you all hated Jamie. That was the point *wink***_

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**§ Chapter 12 - Locomotive §**

Rachel had always loved romances. It didn't matter at all whether it came in the form of a picture, such as the 'Kissing Sailor', a film, like 'Casablanca', or a song such as 'My Man' or 'Fever' or 'Come What May' or 'At Last' or...oh, the list could be endless. Romance was an integral cog to life's essence. _'Life without romance, is food without salt_', as her Daddy always said.

That is why, ever since she started feeling attracted to other people or, better yet, when she started dating, she had always sought out these looks and gestures that would give birth to the incomparable feeling of weakening knees, or butterflies in your stomach flapping around making your head feel light; like it's swimming.

She hadn't been looking for big gestures; no. She didn't care about the extravagance of the action itself, rather than the sensory result it would provoke. A smile that would make her feel like her insides were melting. A touch, almost non-existant, like a feather resting on bare skin, a touch so small yet so powerful that would make her blood boil. A compliment about a trait of hers that she thought no one would ever notice.

No, Rachel Berry wasn't keen on big, romantic gestures. Surely, she would welcome any kind. But she found a rather large difference between the two sorts. She thought that the bigger the gesture the less that person actually knew her. It was like giving a gift to someone; you always have two options. First, spend a load of money on something expensive and the recipient will know you spent a lot on it, ergo they will know you care. Second, spend time coming up with something personal to give said person that you know they will not only appreciate, but will treasure as something deeply personal, so they will know you put time and effort into it and that you truly care.

Of course, Rachel had always chosen option number two. At least, for the people she honestly cared about.

And that's what romance was to her. The little things that make you feel grander ones. And that's why she was a sucker for romance. That's why she cried at the end of Moulin Rouge every single time she had watched it. That's why her hairs on her arms stood on end every time she heard the beginning of 'At Last'.

That's why she could feel her own heartbeat quicken when she woke up in Quinn Fabray's arms.

That's why she felt her cheeks flush when she tried to move and Quinn, eyes closed and half-asleep, pulled up the covers to keep her warm.

It was time for her to get up if she wanted to catch the train back to New York in time. New York, where she lived now. Where she was living the life, studying at NYADA, fulfilling her dream to be a star on Broadway. New York, where she was roommates with her best friend; in a loft which most people would envy. A loft where she had an incredibly comfortable king-sized bed. A bed that would have no Quinn in when she got back.

So she stayed a little longer.

She crawled further into the blonde's embrace, revelling in the warmth coming off of her body. Closing her eyes when the undeniable scent of vanilla hit her senses, her thoughts flew back to the beginning of all this.

Being in Quinn Fabray's bed, in her long, strong arms was still something that baffled her. Surely, not as much as it did when she first realized she was attracted to the blonde. The realization had hit her hard, she remembered. It still kind of did. Her interest had always gravitated to the girl more than the other ones. Quinn was the one that she had sought approval of, even when the cheerleader had stated that she hated her; numerous times.

Had she thought back then that they would end up having sex on a regular basis?

No.

But then, she had also not thought that Quinn would agree to be her friend in the first place, however hard she had tried.

Much like she had not thought that she would be craving the blonde's touch to such a degree that she would take the train to New Haven to surprise her.

_When was the point that changed it all?_, she wondered. When was the point in their friendship, this long, dramatic rollercoaster they called friendship, that it evolved into this erotically charged maze?

For it was a maze. A labyrinth of feelings that gave her whiplash, at best. But when had Quinn Fabray not given her whiplash?

She chuckled softly. _A rhetorical question._

The blonde shuffled in the covers a bit, bringing Rachel back to reality. She needed to get up. Public transportation wasn't in the habit of waiting for her.

Slowly and careful not to wake up her _friend, _she got up, making sure Quinn would still be provided with enough covers; it was a really cold Sunday morning in New Haven as it seemed. Sneaking out and back in the dorm room after a while, Rachel returned having completed her morning routine and, shortly afterwards, she was already dressed and her travel bag was packed.

Quinn was still soundly asleep.

The brunette looked at her and then the time on her cellphone. She still had a little over two hours before the train for New York left and she had hoped she would be able to have some coffee with the blonde before that. She didn't want to leave like a stranger, without saying goodbye. Their status was deemed as 'friends with benefits' but they were more than...'_fuck buddies' _as Santana would crudely state.

She cringed at the expression.

They hadn't met one night and decided they would sleep together whenever they liked. They were friends first.

No, they were enemies first. Then friends. Then they were friends with 'benefits'.

_Ugh! _Rachel shook her head. _Anyone for a ride on the Fabray-Berry Rollercoaster? _

Deciding not to dwell on her frustrating thoughts any longer, Rachel sat gently on the side of the bed where she was lying minutes ago and took a longer look at the blonde. A smile crept up her lips as she watched the girl sleep peacefully. She hated herself for disturbing the blonde, but she had to do it.

"_Quinn!" _she whispered.

Nothing.

"_Quinn!" _she tried again.

She couldn't help but laugh a little when she saw the girl's peaceful expression turn to annoyance in a matter of seconds. Quinn, still not coherent, was frowning, the sounds that were disrupting her sleep unwelcome.

_"Qu-inn!" _Rachel sang, her hand now rubbing the blonde's sides softly.

"Mhmnmhmumf..." Quinn mumbled and Rachel could not make out what that was supposed to mean for the life of her.

Propping herself on her knees she leaned in and gently laid a kiss on Quinn's cheekbone.

"_Quinn..." _she whispered again, this time earning a small smile. "_Wake up..."_

"Nuh-huh" mumbled the blonde again.

"Wake...up" repeated the brunette forming a line of butterfly kisses on Quinn's jaw bone.

"Nuh...huh!" answered the blonde determined, the child-like tone unmistakable to Rachel's ears.

The brunette mumbled something that sounded like '_such a baby' _and opted for a different approach.

"Okay then..." she started, pulling back, "...I'm going to go. Bye, Quinn!"

The last words seemed to work like a charm, because, once uttered, Quinn had her eyes wide open and her hand reaching for the diva.

Rachel snickered. Of course, she wasn't about to leave like that. She just needed to wake Quinn up somehow and firing canons was not something that she could manage at the time.

"Where are you going?" asked Quinn slightly panicked, her voice husky from sleep and her grip firm on the brunette's wrist.

"I have to go...I have to catch the train in like..." she paused to check the time again, "...two hours and I was hoping we'd get some coffee before I go." she said in a low voice. She knew she had a kind of high pitched tone and an excellent strong set of lungs, but she didn't want to wake Quinn up in a manner that would annoy the girl. She had been sleeping so peacefully and that was the way she would be waking up as well.

Quinn looked around, giving herself the chance and time to adjust her eyes and brain to the light and information from the singer respectively. Quickly, and with as much thought as she could manage with her sleep-ridden brain, she decided not to concentrate on the fact that Rachel was leaving, but rather on the sole fact that they had two hours before she left.

Pulling on her wrist, she brought the brunette on top of her and smiled.

"Quiiinn..." Rachel laughed, "what are you doing?"

"The best I can." offered the blonde smirking.

Rachel raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"A minute ago you were sleeping like a log and now you're being witty?" she questioned earning a chuckle from the blonde.

"What can I say?" she said shrugging, her hands now grabbing Rachel's buttocks. "I'm a morning person."

The brunette quirked her eyebrow again. She loved finding out new stuff about Quinn. She settled on top of the girl, her knees now on each side of her and let out a soft, almost inaudible moan as she brushed her chest over Quinn's.

"That you are." she uttered bringing her mouth closer to Quinn's. "That...you...are."

* * *

"Hurry up, Quinn!" Rachel exclaimed.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!"

People were already boarding the train when the two running girls reached the platform. Quinn had fallen behind after having been blocked by a couple of travellers walking in the crowded station carrying their luggage. It seemed like a lot of people were travelling from and to New Haven on Sundays.

Checking her ticket to see what carriage was her seat in, Rachel waited until Quinn was back on her side and started walking along the platform. They had run late, but thankfully, it was a short cab ride to Union Station, so she would make it just on time.

"This is it." said the brunette looking at her friend and shoving her ticket in her back pocket, when she found the carriage she would be in.

There were only a few people on the platform right now, as most of the passengers had already boarded.

"Okay." said Quinn glancing at the time. The train would leave in two minutes.

There was tension in the atmosphere and none of them knew what was appropriate in this kind of situations. There were so much that they wanted to say and so little that could actually be formed into sentences. What was the right thing to say? 'Thanks for coming'? 'Thanks for this weekend'? 'Thanks for the sex'? Even worse, 'See you later'?

The two lovers locked eyes. It looked as though all that needed to be said was actually conveyed through their eyes. It seemed like the tension had weakened.

Then Rachel wrapped her hand around Quinn's.

And the tension dissolved.

It wasn't much. It was just a light squeeze of their entangled fingers and a warm smile. But it would suffice.

The taller girl just stood there, unsure of what to do next. She wanted to hug Rachel.

She needed it.

In the last few days she had found that, even though that was entirely not the case when she first met the girl, now she would find comfort when close to the girl. She would feel warm.

Safe.

Unfortunately, time was not on her side. The train conductor blew his whistle, signalling the last warning for the passengers to board the New York bound train and the stop to the blonde's own train of thoughts.

"I have to go." uttered Rachel, a hint of sadness in her voice that didn't go unnoticed by Quinn.

Unable to find better words, the blonde offered her a weak 'have a nice trip', feigning excitement.

The brunette smiled and let go of her friends hand.

"Bye, Quinn." she said with a small smile and turned around to climb up the small steps to her rail carriage. She had no idea whatsoever as to what was appropriate to say or do. If they were just friends, she would hug her, kiss her on the cheek and be on her way. If, on the other hand, they were together, she would tell her she would miss her, give her a long, sound kiss on the mouth, promise they would see each other soon and, _then_, she would be on her way.

But they weren't either. So up she climbed the steps.

At least she started to, because the moment her foot landed on the first step of the carriage, she felt a strong grip on her wrist turn her around. And then soft, warm lips were on hers, colliding with fervor.

Even though surprised by the kiss, she reacted to it almost instantly. Her tongue found Quinn's immediately, she let go of her luggage and her hands were on the blonde's sides in a matter of seconds. Quinn cupped the brunette's cheeks and deepened the kiss. There was something immensely powerful to that kiss. It was wild, and passionate, and sweet, and romantic; all at once.

The brunette had had great kisses before. And had found out first-hand that Quinn was a vastly good kisser. Their mouths and lips matched. Their way of kissing also matched. It wasn't sloppy, or too slow or too fast. Neither did it have too much or too little tongue.

Everything was done as it was supposed to be done. Everything fit. Everything felt right.

But every single one of those kisses paled in comparison to this one. This kiss had made Rachel's knees feel weak. It had done so to this extend that she had to tighten her grip of Quinn's sides in order to keep herself from falling. Because her head and every cell in her body felt like they were turning to mush.

Rachel let out a desperate moan in the blonde's mouth, waking them both up from their reverie. Quinn sighed, resting her forehead on Rachel's, her hands still cupping her cheeks. She started rubbing small circles on the brunette's flushed skin with her thumbs.

"Be careful?" she said, her voice gruff and almost pleading.

Rachel tried to collect herself. She sent her a smile and just nodded. And just like that she was on the train.

The door slid close with the two girls on each side of it. The conductor's whistle sounded again and, soon enough, the train was off.

'Bye' they both mouthed and Quinn stood there on an empty platform, her hands in her pockets, until the train and the girl in it were out of sight.

She licked her lips, tasting Rachel. She fought the question but something about the moment made her vulnerable and the question was infesting her mind rendering her unable to push it back.

When would her lips taste like _her _again?

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_**It's 5 am so I'm gonna call it a night (lol) The next update will be on Monday or Tuesday. Wednesday tops! Platonic love to you all. Reviews are my drug (especially now that I've cut down smoking). **_


	13. It's Not Easy Being Green

_******Here it is, as promised! ;) I want to thank you all for sticking with this story, for all your follows and comments. They really mean the world to me! You're all A-W-E-S-O-M-E !**_

_**I do NOT own Glee or any of its characters. I own an unhealthy addiction to anything related to seals, llamas and reindeer. I'm weird like that.**_

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_**~ Chapter 13 – It's Not Easy Being Green ~**_

Quinn was standing outside her dorm room, her cell phone in her hands. Punching in the last words of her text message, she shoved her phone in her jeans pocket with a smile and started looking for her keys.

It had been a great week for the girl so far. After an even greater weekend, Monday had come to bring good mood, interesting classes and even incredible weather. Tuesday had went on to provide exactly the same – maybe slightly worse weather – and Wednesday, she had been spending it meeting new people in her new playwriting class she had taken and having the most interesting conversations. She had never had any friends that shared her passions as much as she did; therefore it was all new experience for Quinn. Of course, she had Santana, Brittany and her Glee Club friends that shared her love for dancing and singing, but those weren't her passion. Quinn's passion was performing. It was acting. Even reading. You could give her a new book that would indulge her usual preferences and she would get lost in it until it was finished; and days after that, if the book was any good.

Quinn loved the feeling of getting lost in someone else's story. Ever since she was a little kid, she would read about great romances, and rough childhood, and everyday anti-heroes. And then their story would become hers. And then she would seek guidance from the characters in her books, her _heroes, _and she wouldn't cower in fear in front of the obstacles that life sent her way. For Quinn Lucy Fabray was strong and people were not to see her weak. She would overcome any difficulties she would have to face and set an example for the rest of the world.

She was almost 19 now and she could say with certainty that only a handful of people had seen her weak side. Finn, for instance, that dreadful evening when her father kicked her out of the house because she was pregnant. Puck, when her insecurity got the best of her and led to the aforementioned pregnancy. Santana, during their numerous fights in High School and Quinn's recent breakdown after she had sex with a girl for the first time. And, last but not least, Rachel. The petite Jewish girl that caught her eye from the beginning. Who she hated at first and grew to care about later on, surprising even herself. The small diva who always managed to bring out the best and worst in her. Who she had now shared herself completely with; something that she had never even dreamed of.

Yes, people have caught a glimpse of her weak side. But it was all right now. Quinn wasn't the girl she used to be. She grew up to realize that she could be strong and weak at the same time. It was okay. She was human after all. And _that_ is what pushed her into choosing Drama at Yale. Reading and acting the roles of other people, the heroes that she had read about, that she had pictured, was what she was passionate about. They made her feel alive. Because while she was studying their lives, she was living hers. She was writing her own story. And finally, she felt like her story was leading somewhere great.

Yes, Quinn was having a great week. A great year, one could say.

With a smile plastered on her face she opened the door to her dorm room but her smile faltered when a voice behind her startled her.

"You know, smiling like that for no reason and no one around, would make people take you for a crazy person."

"Shit, J! You scared me!" said Quinn reaching for her heart.

"I have been calling your name but you seemed to be in your little Quinn-bubble again." reasoned Jamie with a teasing glint in her blue eyes.

"I see that 'cute' term of yours is here to stay." answered Quinn feigning annoyance.

"As long as you go on and get lost in your own world like that, I'm gonna keep using it, babe!" she replied adding a wink. "Besides, the guys and I happen to think it _is _cute."

"Mm-hmm." Added Quinn hooking her eyebrow. "Come in."

The two girls entered the room and Jamie proceeded to take a seat on Quinn's bed while the blonde rid herself of her bag.

"So, what's up?" asked the blonde.

"Mmm, nothing much. Just wanted to see how you are." Jamie was now pushing her shoes off, settling further onto the bed, causing the bed springs to let out a shrill, metallic sound. "Squeaky! Has your bed always been this way, Quinn?" her tone and eyes betraying her teasing attitude.

Quinn glared at her, slightly taken aback by the innuendo.

"Ha! Ha! Yes, as a matter of fact, it was like this when I got here and I don't like what you're implying."

"What? That you have a normal sex life?"

Quinn glared at her again and Jamie stuck her tongue out.

The blonde laughed a little at that. She knew her friend was just teasing her and meant no harm. She started stacking some books that were on her desk before she added with a playful tone, "My sex life is none of your business, thank you very much. Besides, you know nothing about it."

Jamie ran her tongue on her teeth and crossed her leg over the other. "I know you're having sex with that short girl you showed up with the other day."

Quinn dropped a book, feeling a little shocked when called out like that and a little angry at Jamie for her 'short' comment.

"Her name is Rachel – _you know that_ – and, like I said, you know nothing about my sex life, J." was the blonde's retort after she took a few seconds to gather herself.

"So…you're _not _doing her." Jamie pushed again.

Quinn could swear on it; Jamie sometimes seemed like an exact replica of Santana.

Maybe that's what made her befriend her in the first place.

_Hmm._

"What's it to you, anyway?" she asked, trying to hide her annoyance. She knew what she and Rachel were doing, but, except for Santana and Kurt, no one else knew and she hadn't thought about telling other people. It was their business anyway.

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry. I'm just making conversation. And I'm curious, you know. You two seemed kinda…cozy the other night. And not to mention you have been looking extra chipper this week. It is a no-brainer, Quinn. You had sex."

"Well…I…er…we..."

"Relax, Quinn. I'm not judging, you know that, right?" said Jamie in a softer tone.

Quinn took a seat on her desk chair. She sighed and dropped her head. She pinched the bridge of her nose trying to calm down and gather her thoughts. She _did _have sex with Rachel. And Jamie was her friend. And she knew for a fact that she wouldn't judge her. She wasn't like that and, except for that, there was the fact that their two other friends were gay and happily together. She couldn't see the point of hiding it from the girl any longer.

"Well…we did." uttered the blonde, a strange combination of anxiety and relief taking over her at the same time.

Jamie just looked at her, her face blank, thus unreadable for Quinn.

"See? I totally called it." was the nonchalant response from the brunette, after what seemed like decades to Quinn.

"Yes. That you did."

Quinn's anxiety was disappearing and relief was settling in. Her admission to having sex with a girl to an outsider – the girl was her friend but it wasn't like they knew each other that well; they had only been friends for four months – seemed to be taken well.

"So, are you gay?" questioned the tall brunette.

"Oh my God with your questions!" Quinn deadpanned.

Jamie laughed out loud, the blonde following her lead after a few seconds.

"What? It's a legitimate question! You may be gay, you may be bisexual, you may be experimenting." explained the brunette. "So what category do you fall under?"

Quinn sighed. She wasn't too keen on her friend's pestering questioning.

"Uhm…I guess…I think…I'm gay?"

Jamie just looked at her expecting the blonde to continue.

"Oh, are you actually asking me, Quinn?" she teased.

"You're _so _funny!" gently admonished the blonde. Sometimes Jamie's friendly mocking and sarcasm was too much for her. "Okay, I _am _gay. Okay?" she stated.

Jamie bobbed her head. "Okay!" she said adding a smile. "I can't say I'm surprised but I didn't expect you to come out and say it, I guess."

Quinn looked at her dumbfounded.

"_What?! _What the hell do you mean?"

First, Jamie pestered her asking questions about Rachel and her sex life and now she said that she hadn't expected her to come out and say it. And then she wasn't surprised? _What the hell?_

"Wow wow, didn't mean anything bad there, Quinn. Just saying that…I've noticed how you look at girls sometimes, you know. And the way you looked at that Rachel chick. Your eyes are a dead give-away, I'm sure you know that."

_No, I don't._

"And I didn't expect you to actually admit it, because I wasn't sure you were comfortable with it, you know? Like, since you haven't mentioned anything in the past, why would you admit to something this big now? But, let me tell you, I'm feeling very proud of myself that you told me first." said Jamie with a megawatt smile, which soon enough faltered. "You did say it to me first, didn't you?"

Quinn chuckled, despite herself.

"Between my friends here at Yale, you _are _the first person I said I was gay. Hell, you're one of the first people I said that including myself!" Quinn realized.

She now knew she was gay. It had been a long and rather tiresome process to finally realize it. But now she knew. And, although she had grown up in gay-hating family, she had gone on to harbor no hate for people that were different than her.

Or not so different after all.

She was Quinn: 'New and Improved'. She was studying her passion, she had friends that cared about her and she was gay.

And she felt good about herself.

She didn't know if the rest of the world, especially her family, would share her enthusiasm, but she actually and at long last, didn't care.

"Wow, that makes me feel special. Really!" admitted the brunette.

"Glad you see it that way." said Quinn and stood up. She opened the cupboard over the kitchenette and pulled out two mugs. Jamie looked at her, a hook in her brow.

"Are we celebrating?" wondered the brunette when she saw her friend produce a bottle of wine from the mini fridge.

"I think this calls for a celebration, don't you?" was the blonde's retort.

"Hey, when there's alcohol, there's no need to tell me twice!" Jamie said propping herself in a more upright position on Quinn's bed and patting the mattress for the blonde to sit down.

Quinn laughed out loud nodding her agreement and sat next to Jamie before she poured some white wine in both of their mugs.

"Really, Quinn. You could invest in some glasses you know."

Quinn glared at her. "You sound like my mother."

Jamie snorted. "Just saying."

"Just drink, Your Highness!" ordered Quinn gently swatting her friend's shoulder.

"Alright, alright!" exclaimed the brunette before raising her mug. "Here's to you, Quinn. Gay or not, you're still hot and we all love ya!" she said happily earning a soft laughter from the blonde.

"I'll drink to that!" said Quinn and clunk their mugs together before taking a sip from her wine.

The former cheerleader smiled and let out a sigh. Every bone in her body felt relaxed.

"Thank you." She said truthfully.

Jamie seemed to be taken aback.

"For what?" she asked knitting her eyebrows.

"For…I dunno…being cool about it, I guess. For being _you._"

The brunette looked at her, her expressions soft and calm.

"There's no need to thank me, Quinn. I didn't do anything and you should know I wouldn't take the information any other way."

"Because of Ryan and Thomas, you mean?" wondered the blonde.

"Well, yeah. Sure. But not just them."

Quinn pulled back feeling a tad confused. "Cryptic much?"

Jamie laughed a little and added. "Well, you know, I've had my share of…_the ladies._"

"_What?!_" Quinn shouted startling the brunette.

"You know, for a person who just told they were gay your reaction to this is a little unsettling." Jamie stated.

"What? No! No! I'm sorry! I didn't…I just…I was just shocked. You? I mean, _you?_"

The brunette was watching Quinn amused.

"Why not me? What can I say? I like it both ways."

The blonde continued to stare, her mouth open.

"Okay, you're starting to creep me out here."

Quinn closed her mouth immediately. "Sorry." she said and cleared her throat. _Wow._

"Why is it such a shock to you anyway?" questioned Jamie.

"Oh, I don't know. I just…I did _not _see that coming." admitted the blonde and took another sip of her wine.

"I actually get that a lot."

"I bet you do."

Both girls laughed a little and clunk their mugs one more time before finishing their drink.

"Want some more?" offered Quinn.

"Told you, you don't have to tell me twice, blondie."

"Heyyy…" admonished Quinn reaching for the bottle of chardonnay on the floor by the bed.

"What? You _are _blonde." Explained the cheeky brunette.

"Again with the jokes." offered Quinn sarcastically and started pouring some more wine in Jamie's cup.

"I'm funny that way." stated the girl with a shrug of her shoulders. "Hey, wanna hear something else that's funny?"

"Always." Replied Quinn, her attention on pouring herself a drink.

"I sorta had a crush on you when we first met."

Quinn almost dropped the bottle.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I'm actually not."

Quinn just stared, panic starting to settle inside her. She had friends confess their feelings before, but never girls – well except for Rachel who said that she wanted her during her last visit – and she had absolutely no idea how to respond to something like that.

"You say…you _had_…a crush on me_._" uttered Quinn slowly, wanting to clarify.

"Well, yeah. I _had. _I wasn't sure you swung that way, you know, and after a while, I realized that we would become great friends."

"I see." The blonde's shock had yet to back down.

"Was I wrong?" wondered the brunette, her worry evident in her tone.

"What?" asked Quinn, unsure of what the girl meant.

"Was I wrong to think that?" clarified Jamie.

"That we would become great friends? No! Of course, not!"

Jamie smiled, a tint of sadness in it that Quinn seemed to be completely ignorant of.

She looked at the blonde. The girl was falling into her infamous 'Quinn-bubble' once again.

"Are you freaking out on me? Please, don't freak out on me, Quinn."

"I'm not! I swear!" Quinn tried to reassure.

The brunette looked at her pursing her lips, silently telling her friend that she wanted the truth.

Quinn put her hand on her knee and gave it a light squeeze. "I'm not. I promise." She assured Jamie, honestly this time. "I was surprised, is all."

Jamie gave her a side glance measuring her up.

"Okay. I'm glad." She said half-smiling.

"It's not like you still have a crush on me!" stated Quinn nonchalantly and settled further onto her bed, resting her back on the wall.

"Right." answered the brunette in a tone too low for Quinn to hear.

* * *

Rachel was lounging on her couch back in hers and Kurt's loft in New York. She had been desperately trying to read her book but failed miserably. Every few seconds – that seemed like minutes to her – she would check her phone and let out a small sigh expressing her disappointment. Every other minute she would check her Facebook newsfeed and scroll down the page. Then she would check her phone again. Then she would get back to her book. And then she would check her phone again.

At some point she actually had enough of herself and moved her cell phone to her nightstand. Bargaining whether it would be better if she turned it off, she decided not to and got back to her couch and continued her reading happily.

That was until she thought she heard her phone chime in an incoming text message and rushed to her bedroom to get it, successfully tripping on the coffee table on her way there.

She thanked Moses for being alone in the loft at the time thus not making a fool of herself to Kurt or anyone else.

Unfortunately, when she reached for her phone she realized that there had been no text message received. Nothing whatsoever.

Frustrated she walked back to the living area, without failing to stomp her feet and with a huff she threw herself and the phone on the couch and opened her book again.

_Pathetic, _she thought.

She had been text messaging with Quinn but for the last hour or so the blonde hadn't texted her back. She knew she shouldn't be getting upset. She knew she was overreacting. But she couldn't help but feel a little hurt that Quinn had yet to reply.

They were in the habit of texting each other the last few days. Not a lot, but enough to keep in touch and share their news and stories. At times they would have these goofy conversations about nothing important that made Rachel laugh. Like the other day when they kept sending texts to each other listing any word that they could think of that ended in -_uous._ It was silly and carefree and it made Rachel feel happy. Because when it all started, after that night they had sex for the first time, they hadn't communicated for days before they actually saw each other again at Puck's. And that was something that the singer could not accept. She wanted, _needed, _to talk to Quinn whenever she liked. Their friendship had now evolved into something _else._ And the fact that they could still have that _and _talk to each other and not be awkward, was something that Rachel really loved.

But Rachel didn't love the fact that Quinn hadn't replied for so long. That had never happened before. It was typical of the blonde to announce that she wouldn't message her for a while either by saying she was getting to class, or going to bed, for example.

She was considerate that way.

But that wasn't the case now. Quinn had checked out in the middle of a very important conversation and Rachel was feeling upset.

"What's up, baby Barbra?"

Rachel let out a glass-shuttering scream.

"Kurt! Hi! I didn't hear you come in!"

The boy just stood there looking at her, his eyes bulging out.

"Your horror movie award deserving scream and the fact that I'm partially deaf now are enough proof of that."

'Sorry' mouthed Rachel feeling a little guilty.

"Sooo…watcha doing?" asked Kurt playfully before taking a seat next to his best friend.

"Mmm…nothing. Just reading." Rachel replied nonchalantly, playing with a lock of her hair.

"And whatcha reading, Lila Crane?" he asked again taking the girl's leg and placing it on his knees.

"Who now?" wondered the brunette, her confusion evident on her facial features.

"Lila Crane? The scream? The shower scene?" Kurt tried to explain.

Rachel just knitted her eyebrows together feeling even more confused. Should she know what the boy was talking about?

"From the movie 'Psycho', Rachel! For the love of God!" Kurt threw his hands in the air dramatically.

"Ugh! You and Quinn with your horror movies!" said the brunette, her frustration evident.

And not unnoticed by Kurt.

"Wow, what's wrong?" he asked concerned.

Rachel cleared her throat.

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong." She stated trying hard to appear calm.

"I think we both know that - when it comes to your personal life, of course – you, Rachel Barbra Berry are a terrible liar. So fess up and tell me what's wrong."

Rachel hated the fact that Kurt was right.

"Told you, Kurt…nothing is wrong." She tried again.

Kurt opened his mouth to admonish his friend when a chime was heard and, in just nanoseconds, Rachel was shoving him around trying to find her phone on the couch.

"Wow! Wow! Wow! It's me! Calm down, jeez." said Kurt with a worried look before checking his message. "It's Adam. Who are you expecting a text from?"

Rachel sat back down crossing her legs and playing with a cushion. "No one." she said failing to sound convincing.

Kurt stared at her, finally realizing what was going on.

"I see." He started, as he placed his phone on the coffee table. He noticed the arrangement of the candles and books on it was changed and the table itself was in a crooked position, but decided not to dwell on it. "Are you expecting a message from a certain blonde?" he asked, teasing the girl.

Rachel gave him an angry look.

'Ooookayyyy' he mouthed, sensing it was a sore subject.

"Wanna talk about it?" he offered softly.

Rachel calmed a little at that and let out a small sigh.

"There's really nothing to talk about. It's Just…I just…Quinn…" the girl took a deep breath calming her nerves. "Quinn and I were talking – via text message that is – and we were in the middle of a conversation when she checked out without saying anything."

Kurt just blank stared at her realizing he probably shouldn't have pressed for an explanation from his friend.

"Have you considered that she may be sleeping? Or, I don't know, Rachel…_studying_?" he asked, his tone kindly conveying to the girl that she was overreacting.

"As a matter of fact I have. But that isn't typical of Quinn and, you know what? I'm offended. Yes, I'm offended, because we were having a _very _important conversation and she checked out right in the middle of it! I mean she just stopped bothering, you know? And that is not what people do. You can't just discuss something that important and suddenly cease to care." Rachel had stood up and was now pacing back and forth.

Kurt felt like he was watching a tennis match.

"But that's just it, isn't it? She didn't care for our conversation and she just _went on _to do something else. Something more interesting. And it doesn't bother me if she did find something better to do, you know? It really doesn't! What bothers me is the fact that she doesn't know if I came home; she doesn't know if I actually reached the safety of my home because when she ever so kindly left our conversation I was on the subway. For all she knows I could have gotten mugged, or…or…killed! For all she knows my lifeless body could be stranded in a sewer somewhere, after Satanists sacrificed me and left me to die with a pigeon in my mouth! And she doesn't care!"

"Okay, Rachel!" Kurt had stood up and grabbed the crazy person that his roommate was being right now, looking at her deep in her eyes. "You have gone over to the dark side! You need to calm down!"

Rachel opened her mouth to say something but Kurt put a finger on her lips before she had the chance to.

"Ah-ah-ah! No talkie for a minute, okay?"

The brunette nodded, the boy's finger still on her lips.

"You have not been mugged, or sacrificed by Satanists, or abducted by aliens. You're safe in your own home with me."

"Bu-" the girl started but was cut off again.

"Ah-ah-ah! _But _Quinn doesn't know that, _I know. _Why wouldn't she think of the alien abductions and all the cult sacrifices that have been happening in New York?" he asked sarcastically earning a death stare from the brunette. "My dear, _crazy, _Rachel, you have to calm down and think of it logically. She may have fallen asleep. She may be having a very important conversation with her mother. She may _not _be hanging over her phone and nearly tackle a person in an effort to reach for her phone!" he put an emphasis on the last part.

"Sorry about that." She muttered feeling a little guilty and rather crazy herself.

"It's okay. We all get crazy sometimes." He said laughing at his own pun. "Get it?" he asked nodding.

Rachel, once again, just stared at him blankly.

"Never mind!" he said feeling disappointed. Quinn should really get her down to watch 'Psycho'. Kurt would, but he wasn't a big fan of horror movies like Quinn. He just liked the classics. The blonde was better suited to be Rachel's company during her introduction to the genre.

He took a seat on the couch again. "What were you talking about anyway?"

"I'm sorry?" asked Rachel before taking a seat herself.

"You said you were in the middle of a very important conversation. So, what were you talking about?"

"Oh! Oh…I…er…we were talking about cats." Answered the brunette dreading her roommates response. "I was thinking of getting one. How do you feel about it?"

"First of all, _cats _do not constitute a very important discussion. Second of all, you can forget about it. I'm not letting those hairy, scratching little devils near my things and most importantly, my wardrobe."

"Figured as much." Rachel muttered disheartened. She really liked cats.

"Back to the matter of your temporary insanity." Kurt started.

"I know, I know. I overreacted."

_Well, that's the understatement of the year._

"It's just that…" Rachel started again "…can I just tell you something? But promise me you won't make fun of me, Kurt. You have to promise!"

The boy started to feel worried. "Rachel, I promise. What is it?"

"Okay." The singer took a deep breath. "When I was there, we had a lot of fun, you know? Quinn was happy I got there and we had a great time and, you know, we talked about us and where we stand."

"And you agreed to be friends with a little bit of sex on the side." Kurt cut off.

"Exactly! And I'm fine with that, Kurt. I am! I was the one who suggested it in the first place."

"So? What's wrong?" wondered the boy again.

"I met her friends."

"That's…great?" Kurt was at a loss. He felt like he was missing something.

"It is! She's friends with a lovely gay couple and…another girl."

Things were starting to click in the boy's mind.

"And that girl…"

"Jamie. Her name is Jamie." Rachel offered.

"And that Jamie character is gay?" asked Kurt.

"Well, no, I don't know. I think so. I really don't know, Kurt. But judging by the look she was giving Quinn and her evident disliking of me, I guess she was feeling…threatened?" Rachel explained.

"Let her feel whatever she wants to feel, Rachel. It shouldn't bother you in the least."

"But that's just it! It _does _botherme. She was all over Quinn at that bar we went to on Saturday. Touching her arm, giving her those dirty meaningful looks with her gigantic blue eyes!"

"So you got jealous." Kurt stated calmly.

"Hell no! I just think it's…disgusting, you know. Throwing herself on Quinn like that when she knew she was with me there."

"Did she?"

"I don't know! No!" Rachel slumped her shoulders, giving up. She hated feeling like this. "Why am I being jealous-Rachel?" she asked desperately.

Kurt smiled at his friend and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"You don't know if this Jamie girl is into Quinn; she might as well have felt that her friendship with her was being threatened and she wanted to mark her territory. You also don't know if Quinn has told anyone about you two. You don't know why she hasn't answered your text, either. What you do know is that you're _not _a couple and you shouldn't overreact like this. Lucky your little crazy fit was for my benefit only. So, get yourself together and give the girl a call."

Rachel nodded hysterically. "You're right! You're absolutely right! I'll just call her! Thank you, Kurt. God I love you!"

The boy laughed and watched amused as his roommate grabbed her phone and happily dialed Quinn's number.

"_It's ringing!" _whispered Rachel.

"_Okay!" _Kurt whispered back.

"_Quinn's phone, this is Jamie!" _was all Rachel heard through her cell phone before she hung up.

"WHO IS THIS GIRL?!"

* * *

Please tell me what you think! :D


	14. Mine

_**Hey, everyone! Here's Chapter 14. The last chapter raised a few questions that I would like to address. hope I don't forget anything. **_

_**First of all, the story is labeled "Romance/Humor" and it's going to stay that way. I know that it feels like Jamie is going to bring trouble, but introducing her to the story, serves merely as help to the plot. The angsty part of the story has been and is going to be light, as both Quinn and Rachel feel jealous but that's it. There is NOT going to be any Drama. Not a chance in hell :)**_

_**Additionally, it felt natural to me to make Rachel jealous but I've shown in the story so far (and I'm going to show it in the future as well) that Quinn gets jealous as well. Even more aggressively so, I might add.**_

_**And last but not least, I'm sorry if you find my story lacking originality. I'm not a writer, this is my first attempt at it and I try my best AND I, sure as hell, welcome your critique since it makes me better :)**_

_**I apologize for the long introduction.**_

_**I do NOT own Glee or any of its characters. I own a ticket to Romania and I'm travelling to Transylvania in a week. Yayyy :D (I'm going to post another chapter before I do so, though)**_

* * *

_**~ Chapter 14 - Mine ~**_

"What are you doing?" Quinn asked as soon as she came through the door of her dorm room and saw Jamie hanging up her phone.

"Nothing. I just- your phone was ringing and I answered it", explained the brunette feeling rather uncomfortable at the moment.

Quinn, who had been gone for a trip to the restroom, was now eyeing her friend suspiciously. She had forever been an eager supporter of boundaries. If she could respect other people's, why shouldn't they?

"Who was it?" the blonde asked coldly standing over Jamie, her hand extended, waiting for the girl to give her back her phone.

"I'm sorry?"

"On the phone, Jamie. Who was it on the phone?" Quinn asked again, feeling herself running out of patience.

"Oh! It was Rachel." Jamie answered boldly.

"_What? _Rachel? What did she say?" the blonde could taste the anger piling up inside of her. She had forgotten to send a text reply to Rachel and, realizing that as well as that Jamie had answered Rachel's call, was causing her anxiety.

She knew Rachel wouldn't have loved that.

"Nothing. She said nothing. She hung up." Jamie offered a quick answer.

"She said nothing at all? You sure?" the blonde wondered again now hovering over the other girl, her eyes piercing through hers.

"Yeah, Quinn. Nothing at all. I just answered your phone, 'cause I didn't want you to miss a call, you know, and she just hung up. What's the big deal anyway?" offered the brunette, a slight concern forming inside seeing her friend this upset.

"Okay, Jamie, just- don't answer my phone. Especially if it's Rachel calling", Quinn started, now searching her messages. "I mean, I know you meant well but it's 2013. These things here-", she said wiggling her phone dramatically in her hand, "have caller ID. I'll get back to whoever called me."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Won't happen again. Jeez…"

Quinn was losing her patience much faster than before.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. It's not like she's your girlfriend or anything, is she?" Jamie quipped.

"It's not- She's not-", Quinn stopped when she realized she was now raising her voice and, pinching the bridge of her nose, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Look, Jamie, it doesn't matter what she is and, frankly, however harsh it may sound, it's none of your business. We're friends and I care about you but my personal life is something that _I _choose to share, not you or anybody else. The point here is that I don't like people crossing the line, and answering my phone does exactly that. So, please, don't do that again."

Quinn tried so hard to sound calm. What she felt inside, was an entirely different case. Thinking about Rachel and what she would think of Jamie answering her call was driving her mad. She was no fool. She knew that since their agreement was one for an open relationship the brunette had no right to get upset, but she couldn't help but wonder what _she _would feel in the Rachel's shoes.

She needed to call the girl.

"Al right, Q. I'm really sorry. Won't happen again, I swear", Jamie apologized. "Want some more wine?" The girl had never seen her friend get upset before and she wanted to lighten the mood.

Quinn gave her an awkward, apologetic smile.

"Sorry, J. I think I'm going to call it a night." Quinn replied.

"You sure? The night's still young!" the girl offered happily.

Quinn laughed quietly. She was struggling internally not to sound rude.

"I'm sure", she stated heading for the door. "Got lots to do before I sleep, so…"

"No need. I'll go", said Jamie standing up, putting her hands up defensively. "Had a lot of fun tonight, Quinn. We should do it again, like old times, you know. I hardly see you these days."

Quinn held the door open for her friend and sent a weak smile her way.

"Will do, Jamie. I know, I've been busy like hell. And I miss the guys. We should all hang out soon. Like old times."

The brunette nodded, a smile suffused with light sadness on her lips, and walked out of the room. "'Night, Quinn."

Quinn bid her 'goodnight' and closed the door.

Leaning her back against the wooden door, she closed her eyes and let out a deep breath in an attempt to gather her thoughts.

With a jump in her step she quickly tidied up her room – that meant putting away the bottle of wine and coffee mugs, changed into her sweats and T-shirt, grabbed her cell phone and sat on her bed.

"Al right…" she muttered to herself. She scrolled down her call list to find Rachel's missed one. Checking the time at the moment, she contemplated whether the brunette would have gone to bed by now. It had been just ten minutes since the girl's call so she ruled the possibility out.

"Okay…" she said to herself again, taking a better seat on her mattress. She felt like she should rehearse what she was going to say to the girl.

Coming up with a few ways of going about this, she shook her head ridding herself of the thoughts.

Did she need to explain?

No. She hadn't done anything wrong and they weren't a couple, so she had no obligation to do so.

Did she want to explain?

Yes.

Although the absence of exclusivity is typically what constitutes an open relationship, Quinn felt the need to clear things up with Rachel. She didn't want the New Yorker to think that she was seeing other people; people that had been introduced to her as her friends, for that matter.

Clearing her throat, she pressed Rachel's name on the screen of her phone and put the device on her ear. She was feeling nervous. For some reason that she couldn't explain at the time, she could feel her heart rate pick up.

One ring.

Two.

Just when panic was starting to form inside Quinn and the third ring sounded in her ear, she heard Rachel's voice.

"_Hello?"_

Relief washed over Quinn. Fleeting thoughts of Rachel rejecting her calls suddenly vanished.

"Hey, Rach. How are you? Is it a bad time? Are you sleeping? I could call another time."

_Oh my God, Fabray. Could you sound any more like a loser? _Quinn mentally chastised herself.

"_Umm no- I mean, I'm not sleeping or anything." _Rachel stated and after a small pause and an almost inaudible sigh she went on, "_what's up?" _she asked casually.

Quinn wondered if she had made a mountain out of a molehill. Maybe Rachel hadn't been upset by Jamie answering her phone. Maybe Rachel didn't mind Quinn going out with other people. Maybe Rachel had an open mind about everything and was seeing other people as well. Rachel sounded very calm in contrary to what Quinn had expected.

Why wasn't Rachel upset?

_Why am _I _getting upset? _Quinn wondered.

"Er…you called; a while ago. I was in the rest room and Jamie picked it up. We were hanging out."

Silence. Quinn scratched a non-existent itch on her left eyebrow and waited for the brunette's reply.

"_Ah yes. It was nothing of importance. I apologize if I bothered you, Quinn."_

"No!" the blonde rushed out, her voice a couple of tones higher. "I mean, no-", she lowered her voice, "you didn't bother me or anything. We were just talking."

"_Okay", _came Rachel's weak answer.

Quinn started feeling a lot more relaxed. She scooted closer to the wall and leaned her back on it, crossing her legs.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" she wondered.

"_Umm, nothing- I mean, nothing important. It was about our conversation earlier."_

The blonde thought for a second or two.

"Cats?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"_Yeah! I wanted to tell you that I…er…talked to Kurt about getting a cat and imagine what his answer was."_

Quinn could hear a different tone in Rachel's voice but she couldn't put her finger on it. She could also swear she heard someone whisper.

"Are you okay, Rachel? Do you want me to call some other time? You sound…distracted", Quinn offered truthfully.

"_No! I'm all right, Quinn. Just- Just wait a second_."

Quinn could tell Rachel was walking and she figured she moved to her bedroom – or at least a room – when she heard a door click shut.

"_Okay, sorry. I'm here. It was just Kurt and he was distracting me. He was obsessing about Project Runway."_

Quinn let out a quiet laughter. That sounded like Kurt.

"Well, what did he say? About the cat, I mean", wondered the blonde.

"_Take a wild guess." _Rachel offered sarcastically.

"I'm guessing no." Quinn said laughing lightly.

"_It was to be expected, really. I don't know why I even bothered to ask him. He changed five colors, you should have seen him!"_

"Sorry I missed that", Quinn offered.

Rachel let out a sigh.

"_So…how was your night?" _asked the brunette over the phone.

Quinn smiled.

"Nothing much. Just some catching up with J. And now I'm in my bed talking to you", Quinn told the girl happily.

"_Oh…umm do you want to go to bed? Am I keeping you up?" _Rachel asked sincerely.

"No- No, you're not. I called _you, _remember?" the blonde offered lightly. "So, how about you? Any plans for the night?" she asked curiously.

"_Me? Nah. Kurt and I were just considering watching some trashy TV and heading to bed. I've got a long and tiring day tomorrow."_

"We lead eventful and adventurous lives, you and I", Quinn teased.

Rachel laughed with all her heart.

"_That- That seems to be absolutely truthful."_

Quinn thought for a second.

"Hey, Rach?"

"_Yes, Quinn?"_

"I was thinking about coming to New York for the weekend."

"_You were?" _asked the brunette suddenly a bit nervous.

"Yeah, I mean, if it's alright with you. I don't want to impose or, you know…" Quinn was unsure as to why the beating of her heart was picking up again.

"_What? Of course not! Quinn, I would love to have you here", _Rachel retorted.

"Okay. Great!" was all Quinn could think of an answer. She felt relieved.

"_Great!" _came Rachel's excited reply.

Quinn, with the phone still pressed on her ear, moved the covers and tucked herself into bed.

"Hey, Rach?"

"_Hmm?"_

"Is it the fur that bothers Kurt? Is that why he doesn't want a cat?" asked Quinn.

"_Yeap. And the scratching, of course."_

"I don't know about the scratching but, how do you feel about getting a Sphynx cat?"

"_Those things that look like naked rats?!" _Rachel asked incredulously.

Quinn laughed out. "Yes, I guess so. Hey, I know they're not the prettiest of all pets but, at least, you won't have to worry about cat hair on your clothes and furniture."

"_Although you're right about the cat hair, Quinn, I would never get a Sphynx cat. I wouldn't get one even if they paid me to! Those things look like they can summon the dead!"_

Quinn laughed out loud. She covered herself more with the duvet, feeling the cold of the night get to her and rested the phone on her ear. "They probably can", she teased.

"_Maybe I should get a fish", _Rachel thought out loud.

The blonde's lips twitched upwards. The weekend couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

Rachel was walking to the Central Station, her excitement physically visible in her step. It was Saturday and from the moment she had woken up - or more like jumped out of bed - she had been feeling a continuous wave of excitement surge through her.

She couldn't wait to see Quinn.

Reaching the ticket office where they had arranged to meet - Quinn had offered to meet at Rachel and Kurt's loft, but the brunette had insisted on meeting at the station - she saw a familiar set of hazel eyes searching for her in the crowd. Speeding up, as if she could save time, she headed for the blonde.

As soon as she saw her, Quinn flashed a smile at her friend, rearranged her travel bag on her shoulder and started walking towards the brunette.

"Hey!" was all Rachel said, her smile brighter than the sun.

Before she could say anything else, she was wrapped around Quinn's arms. Rachel's breath was caught in her throat. It'd been a long time since she was embraced that way. There was something deep, sweet and powerful in the blonde's embrace and it was making Rachel's heart skip.

"Hey, you", Quinn whispered softly in the brunette's hair, her voice barely audible because of the ambient noise.

Rachel put her arms around her friend's waist. She loved the feeling of the girl against her. Their shapes complemented each other perfectly.

Quinn wanted to kiss the girl in her arms. She needed to. It was one of those feelings that keep going through your head and the fact that she couldn't decide what to do - she didn't know if it was appropriate considering their situation or how such a move from her would be accepted by the brunette - was driving her insane.

And then Rachel took her by surprise.

Without any hesitation she laid one soft, chaste kiss on her lips.

It was a simple kiss. A kiss that long lost lovers, or even friends, share. But it didn't lack eroticism. No, it was intimate and moving. And albeit they weren't used to public displays of affection - it was the second public kiss they had shared so far- it didn't feel awkward at all; for either of them.

Both girls were used to showing affection in public; Rachel even more so than Quinn. The blonde still remembered the make-out sessions between the girl and Finn at McKinley; and, of course, the disgusted face Santana would make every single time she saw them. 'It's like watching a sea lion and a smurf bump their mouths and drool all over each other' the Latina would say. Quinn's public displays of affection would extend to pecks on the mouth and nothing more. She didn't feel like offering a show for the rest.

But this was different. They were two girls kissing each other. And it was something entirely new to both of them.

And for some reason that neither could explain, it felt right.

Rachel smiled to her friend. "How was your trip here? I thought that we could go for a walk, have some coffee and then head back to my place. Kurt will be there till this afternoon and he wants to see you before he heads out for rehearsal."

"Yes, of course. Sounds great!" Quinn agreed.

"Splendid!" exclaimed Rachel and motioned for Quinn to follow her out of the station.

"As a recently made New Yorker, although always a New Yorker at heart, I've been to a plethora of cafes in the city. But today, since you're here I'm to take you to my favorite one", Rachel stated excitedly.

Quinn chuckled. She was finding the girl adorable. "Oh, you were born to live here, Rach. I could see it before, I saw it when we came here for Nationals and I, as sure as hell, can see it now. And I trust your taste in cafes. You certainly know what you're talking about, New Yorker", offered the blonde with a gentle jab in the brunette's ribs, causing the girl to blush.

A train ride and just a little walking later they were pushing the door of Rachel's favorite coffee shop open. They had been talking non-stop about their news, which consisted mostly of their classes at college and a few funny incidents that they had witnessed. Standing in line for the coffees to go, Rachel began to ask Quinn about what she wanted to do that night when she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hey there, stranger!"

Both girls turned and looked at the gorgeous redhead behind the counter.

"Ashley, hey! How are you?" asked Rachel excited.

Quinn nodded a hello. The girl was a stranger; to her anyway.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. How have you been? Haven't seen you in quite a while", the barista stated leaning on the counter. There was a line of customers behind the girls but she didn't seem to mind.

Quinn thought that it was at least unprofessional of the girl.

"Oh, I've been slammed with classes and stuff, you know", explained the brunette with a smile.

Quinn was looking back and forth between the two, feeling more and more agitated. Who was this girl and why did Rachel have to explain herself as to why she hadn't showed for a while?

"Any shows I might see you in this season? You've been auditioning, haven't you?" the redhead wondered.

"Umm, yes", Rachel was baffled. She had made small talk at some point with the girl while waiting for her beverage to be prepared but she didn't expect Ashley to remember that she had been auditioning for a few off-Broadway shows. "I mean, I have been auditioning but I didn't get the part, so..." she explained sadly.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. You'll get a lot of parts in the future, I know it, Rach", offered the redhead causing Rachel to blush.

And Quinn's head to spin. In the bad way. '_Rach_'? '_Rach_'?! _That's my thing!,_ thought the blonde.

"Could we order now?" Quinn asked coldly.

Rachel turned to look at her, bulging her eyes. She couldn't believe how rude the blonde was being. She opened her mouth to offer some sort of apology but was interrupted by the redhead.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry for the wait", apologized the barista. "What will you have?"

"I'll have an americano and-"

"I know Rachel's order", offered the redhead with a smirk and a light tone, and just like that she turned around to prepare the order.

Rachel made sure Ashley was out of earshot and turned to look at Quinn and whispered "Quinn, why were you so rude? She's a friend."

The blonde side glanced at the barista who was still making their coffees and said "I'm sorry, Rach. It's just that- there are people waiting, you know."

Rachel looked at her disbelievingly.

"Still, that wasn't-"

"Here is your order, guys", came Ashley's cheery voice. "It's 8.95$".

Rachel made a move to get some money from her purse but Quinn stopped her.

"Let me", she said with a soft smile.

"No, Quinn, I insist. You're my guest. I'm buying you coffee", Rachel stated.

"Rachel", Quinn laid her hand on the brunette's. "Please", she insisted, her eyes turning to the redhead for a second, who was now watching her two customers intently.

"Okay", muttered Rachel. "But just this time!" she let the blonde know.

Quinn gave the redhead a ten dollar bill with a smirk on her face.

"Thank you", said Ashley.

"Mmm-hmm", was all the blonde offered.

"Come back soon, Rach. Can't wait to hear your news", Ashley said her eyes focused on the brunette.

"Sure, Ashley. Thank you. See you soon", said Rachel and waved the girl goodbye, when she felt Quinn's arm drape over her shoulders.

Surprised, she turned to look at the blonde who was now eyeing the barista, her eyes piercing holes in the redhead.

She could tell Quinn was being jealous. She had had the pleasure of seeing the girl get territorial with other people that flirted with her - and she had surely loved it - but this was something else. Quinn had never been like this before; and Rachel thought that there was no reason to, as well. Ashley was just being friendly, wasn't she?

The blonde had her arm around Rachel's shoulders until they got out of the café. She only removed her arm to button up her coat; she could feel the New York cold freeze her bones.

Rachel, still seemingly taken aback by the girl's behavior, turned and looked at her.

"Are you all right, Quinn?" she asked.

The taller girl shivered at the cold breeze that blew threw her straight hair. She looked at Rachel confused.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Rachel furrowed her brows and stared skeptically at Quinn. She knew the blonde wasn't being entirely sincere as she knew that Quinn wasn't exactly all right; what she didn't know was to what extend the girl wasn't all right.

"I-I don't know. You seem kind of…edgy", explained the brunette, making a careful choice of words.

Quinn gently grabbed both Rachel's shoulders and, with a small smile, she said, "I'm not. I'm just looking forward to spending time with you."

Rachel could swear she felt her insides melt. Her cheeks were instantly flushed and she looked down, avoiding eye contact. She felt like a schoolgirl swooning over the jock that everyone wanted, which wasn't exactly far from the truth, except for the fact, of course, that they weren't at school anymore and the jock was actually the ex-head-cheerleader of their High School.

"Come on", said Quinn. "Let's start walking, or, I swear, my blood will turn into popsicle any time now."

Rachel chuckled and led the way.

After a walk through the city and in Central Park, the two girls decided to get back to Rachel and Kurt's loft.

They had fallen into silence a few times during their walk, making them a tad uncomfortable, since, surprisingly enough, not having something to talk about was a rarity for them. It hadn't always been the case, but since the dynamics of their relationship changed, it had.

Rachel could still feel that something was off with the blonde, and Quinn still felt upset over the barista. She wanted to know everything about her and the diva. She needed to know if they were flirting, if Rachel liked her, if Rachel was intrigued by her, if Rachel wanted her number, if Rachel _had _her number, if Rachel had gotten anybody else's number. She needed to know.

But she didn't ask.

She was sensible enough to understand that she had no right to ask the brunette such questions, however hard it was proving to be for her. So she swallowed everything in and tried her best to let it pass and have a good time with the girl.

Rachel slid the door to the loft open and let herself and Quinn in.

"At last!" they heard Kurt say, emerging from the bathroom. "Where have you guys been?" said the boy with a smile on his face as he approached the duo and gave Quinn a small hug. "How are you, Quinn?"

The blonde smiled widely and hugged him back. "I'm fine, Kurt. How are you?"

"Same ol', same ol'", responded Kurt with a shrug of his shoulders. "Come on, I wanna know everything and I haven't got much time; I'm meeting Adam in a few minutes for rehearsal. How's life at Yale?" he asked as he led the girl to the couch.

Rachel remained silent in her armchair as she heard her two friends exchange news about their academic lives for several minutes until it was time for Kurt to leave.

"Well, I need to go now", he announced glancing at the time. "Although I highly doubt you two will mourn my absence", he added with a playful wink at the blonde, earning a death stare from his roommate and a shy smile from Quinn. "Catch you two later. It was nice seeing you, Quinn!" he said putting his jacket on. "Have fun!" he wished and he was out the door.

Rachel chuckled nervously when her eyes met Quinn's.

"Want some tea?" she asked rubbing her palms on her jeans clad thighs.

"Sure", answered the blonde laconically.

Rachel walked to the kitchen area and soon Quinn followed suit.

As she waited for the water to warm up in the kettle, Rachel turned abruptly and faced the blonde.

"Do you feel weird?" she asked. "About Kurt knowing, I mean."

Quinn leaned back on the counter next to the brunette and shrugged her shoulders. "A little. But it's something temporary. I'm going to get used to it. I mean, don't you feel weird about Santana knowing?"

Rachel gave it a little thought.

"Yes, I do actually. Mostly because she keeps emailing me these links to lesbian Kama Sutra books and tutorial videos, though", answered the brunette.

Quinn's mouth fell open.

"You're kidding. Tell me you're kidding!"

Rachel bobbed her head and poured the hot water into two cups. "I wish I was."

"I thought she was sending those to just me! Ugh! I'm gonna kill her, I swear!" exclaimed Quinn feeling furious.

Rachel laughed quietly. "It's okay, Quinn. It's just Santana being Santana", she said as she passed one cup to Quinn.

The blonde wrapped her fingers around the warm cup and blew on it to cool the liquid. "I know", she offered. "It's just- Sometimes I wonder why I'm still friends with her, you know."

Rachel chuckled and watched as the girl took a sip from her tea, slightly wincing as the hot liquid burned her lips and tongue.

"Motherf-", yelled Quinn, her hand flying to her mouth to feel the results of her impatience.

Rachel let out a loud laugh and hurried to the blonde.

"I swear, sometimes you're like a baby", she stated playfully.

Quinn snorted, the feeling of her burnt tongue and lips making her unhappy. Rachel's remarks weren't helping.

"Let me…" said the brunette softly taking Quinn's hand away from her mouth. Pressing her body against the blonde's, she leaned up and grazed her lips with their counterparts. "Better?" she breathed.

Quinn's expression immediately softened. "A little", she offered.

Rachel smiled and kissed her again, fully this time. Quinn's hands found her waist and pulled her closer. She kissed the brunette back, languidly sliding the tip of her tongue along Rachel's bottom lip. Rachel opened her mouth and let the hot muscle inside. She wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck and pressed harder, wanting to cover every inch of her body with the blonde's.

Quinn let out a throaty moan when she felt Rachel's full lips wrap around her tongue – she couldn't even feel the burn anymore – and felt her blood start to boil. She pushed the brunette back, and, with a swift move, she grabbed the girl's buttocks and lifted her so she was sitting on the kitchen table.

Instinctively, the brunette wrapped her legs around Quinn's waist and bit her bottom lips. She could feel desire take over her body. She could taste it.

Quinn moved her lips to Rachel's jaw, laying open-mouthed kisses on the length of it, slowly making her way to her ear.

The singer felt her core throb the moment she heard the blonde breathe '_I want you' _right before she sucked on her earlobe.

"Fu- I want you too", she said, her breathing labored, and started taking the girl's clothes off.

Quinn, in a matter of seconds, had the brunette completely naked in front of her. Her pale hand found Rachel's ribs and slowly, she took in the sight before her.

"You're beautiful", she whispered still admiring the girl's form.

"_You're _beau-", Rachel started to say but she was cut short by Quinn's claiming lips.

"You're _so _fucking beautiful", the blonde offered again cupping Rachel's cheek.

The small diva kissed Quinn hard, earning a moan from the girl and a wave of arousal crushed in her center.

Quinn's hands flew to Rachel's hips and with force she drew her closer to her body. She could feel the warmth coming off of Rachel's wet core on her abdomen, the smell of the girl's arousal intoxicating her.

Quinn led her hand down Rachel's torso, feeling her slightly tremble when she reached her destination. Her slender fingers slid softly up and down dripping folds, the feeling making her stomach twist into a thousand knots.

"Fu- Quinn…" breathed the brunette laying her forehead on Quinn's temple.

The blonde leaned in and kissed her solidly. "I love the way you feel", she whispered between kisses. Her fingers had now found a faster tempo, the tips focusing on circling Rachel's aching clit.

Rachel wrapped her left hand behind Quinn's neck and her right one's nails dug in the blonde's shoulder blade, drawing the girl incredibly closer. A small whimper left her bruised lips when she felt two eager fingers enter her.

"_Fuck…" _breathed Quinn as she gently bit Rachel's shoulder, the feeling of the brunette's scorching, tight walls surrounding her digits.

She pumped in and out slowly, her left arm around Rachel's waist, keeping the girl close to her.

"I want you so much", she breathed, a pleading tone in her husky voice. "I want you so fucking much."

Rachel could feel her head swim. She felt all her senses heighten and go numb at the same time. She could smell Quinn's arousal and the blonde's bodily and verbal attack take over her entire body.

"_Quinn…"_ she pleaded, her right hand making its way down Quinn's taut abdomen.

The blonde swiftly but gently grabbed the brunette's wrist and, with a kiss, she whispered, "Later."

Grabbing Rachel's back of the neck, she continued her assault inside the girl's drenched center, pumping her fingers faster.

Rachel whined softly and let the blonde entirely take control again. She could feel her walls tighten more in every thrust of Quinn's talented fingers, driving her insane.

The blonde's lips found Rachel's and soon enough their tongues battled for dominance. Breaths mingling, blood boiling, cores aching, Quinn could not let it in any longer.

"You're mine, Rach", she breathed. "Please, tell me you're mine".

Rachel backed away just an inch, surprised by her lover's words.

What was she supposed to say?

How was she supposed to respond to that?

She wanted to say 'yes', she wanted to say 'I'm yours'. But was it true? Was it just sex talk?

"_Quinn…" _was all she managed and Quinn's lips were on hers again, claiming her.

The blonde's thumb drew circles around Rachel's swollen nob and she thrust deeper inside the girl's aching core.

Feeling Rachel's walls spasm around her fingers, she moaned into her mouth, biting softly on the brunette's hips.

Her own body was screaming with arousal, but she couldn't care less at the moment. She was reveling into the feeling of Rachel's ragged breath on her, the feeling of Rachel's slim, covered in a thin layer of sweat, body tremble against hers.

Smoothly, she removed her fingers from the brunette's center, and placed them in her mouth. Moaning in pleasure from the taste of the girl, she cupped Rachel's face.

"Rach…" she whispered feeling anxiety slowly take over.

Rachel looked at her confused. "Quinn?" she breathed, feeling slightly worried.

The blonde rested her forehead on Rachel's and sighed.

"Quinn, what's wrong?" inquired the singer softly lifting the girl's chin up to look at her.

Quinn tried to avoid making eye contact with Rachel.

"Talk to me", pleaded the smaller girl.

Quinn let out a deep sigh again and locked her lips with Rachel's.

"I don't want you seeing other people. I want you seeing me. _Only_ me. I- I can't do this", she stuttered. "It's driving me crazy, imagining you with other people. I want you to be _mine._"

Rachel's mouth fell open and for once in her life she didn't know what to say.

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Please Read & Review. Your feedback is extremely valuable.


	15. How Does That Sound?

**Hey, everyone! Yes, I'm here. I'm not dead or anything :P I apologize for the long wait. Lots of things kept me from writing, mostly feeling uninspired. I'm back, though, feeling the exact opposite. Hope you like the chapter. **

**As always, I do not own Glee or any of its characters. What I do own is a increasing variety of shotglasses from places I've visited around the world.**

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**Chapter 15 – How Does That Sound?**

"_I don't want you seeing other people. I want you seeing me. Only me. I-I can't do this. It's driving me crazy, imagining you with other people. I want you to be mine."_

Rachel's ears were ringing. She could feel the blood haste to her head from where it just had been rushing a few seconds ago. Her mind was going through a myriad of thoughts and was completely blank at the same time. She couldn't hear anything but the blood pumping through her veins, pulsating, making her head feel twice its normal size and her otherwise finely tuned ears ring vigorously, drowning any other sound.

_So this is what people call 'hysterical deafness' _she thought for the briefest of seconds.

Quinn's eyes, wet and unblinking, looked expectant. She was unsure whether she should have said it. One part of her regretted it the moment the words came out of her mouth; the other part felt, truthfully, quite relieved. She hadn't talked to anyone about it but herself, but she had been on this extremely confusing emotional rollercoaster concerning the small brunette in front of her. She had been quite content with their _arrangement_, though lately the whole thing felt not enough. Afraid to think too much about it and lose the fun of their unorthodox relationship, she let it go.

Well, until now.

She couldn't think of anything to say to top what had just sprung out of her lips, so she waited almost patiently. Rachel looked dumbfounded, and with her not responding and all, Quinn's look turned from expectant to defeated. Disappointed. Embarrassed.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Rachel knew she had to say something at some point but no words came to mind. She literally, and quite shockingly, could not form a single sentence.

_Say something. Come on! Just look at her!_

She wanted to say something. She wanted to know if what she heard was true. She wanted to know if what she heard had actually been said. It would be embarrassing to say the least if she had imagined the whole thing. She wanted to make that horrible look on Quinn's face disappear. She wanted to, but she didn't know how. She didn't even know how she felt about it. She had faintly flirted with the idea of actually being with Quinn but, quickly enough, she had dismissed it, rendering the idea as ludicrous and simply impossible. The very thought of it was attributed to her nostalgia for being in a committed relationship. Although in retrospect she doubted she had ever been in one.

The air felt thick, lacking of oxygen, and Quinn felt more exposed by the second. With a pink hue on her cheeks, she slowly reached for her clothes, mentally damning her blubbering mouth. Apparently, it couldn't be trusted in times of extreme arousal. Perfectly aware of her and the small girl's nakedness, she put on her shirt and buttoned her jeans, bitterly laughing at how fast things change. Moments ago the same bareness of their bodies felt so natural. So needed.

Now it was just plain embarrassing.

Rachel stood, her legs feeling weak and wobbly, and covered herself with her dress.

"Quinn…"

Quinn felt physically sick at the sound of Rachel's voice. It was so small. She knew what was coming and, once again, she mentally chastised herself for expressing her deeper thoughts. She knew better than that. Yes, she wanted to be more honest with herself and everyone. Yes, she had finally found peace with herself. But the recent developments with Rachel had brought some kind of instability again. She got nervous around the girl. She got jealous and shy and anxious, and all that would cause a slight bit of panic. Hence the 'confession'.

"Don't…" said Quinn, her voice matching Rachel's. If only the earth would just open up already and swallow her whole. She couldn't bring herself to look at the girl.

Rachel got fully dressed and, finally, feeling a little braver, she ventured, "Quinn, please. I-It's okay."

The blonde wondered if her lover was kidding or not.

"I mean, don't do that. Just-Let's talk about this", Rachel tried again.

"There's no need, Rachel", answered Quinn, her eyes still finding everything else interesting. She started looking for her bag, her mind drawing a complete blank as to where she had put it. "Just, please, forget that I said anything."

Maybe she could take it back. Or not.

"What? Why?" Rachel wondered, her eyes following the blonde's back move from the kitchen to the living area and then the kitchen again. "What are you looking for?"

Quinn gave no answer but continued her epic search for the elusive baggage.

Rachel put her hands on her sides and lightly stomped her foot. " Quinn, what are you looking for?"

"My bag. I'm looking for my bag."

The brunette's mouth fell open once again. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, Rach. I'm seriously looking for my bag" came Quinn's snarky retort.

Rachel huffed. "Don't- Don't do that."

"Don't do what?" asked the blonde nonchalantly, mouthing 'finally' when she caught sight of her bag behind the couch.

"Get like that with me. You're being evasive and snarky, and, frankly, this passive-aggressive attitude isn't working for you. Or me, for that matter. So I think we sh-Quinn, would you just stop moving and look at me when I'm talking to you?!"

Quinn stopped in her tracks, the small girl's authoritative voice bringing her to a halt. She turned to look at the girl. God, she was beautiful. Hands clinging on her waist (oh, she had driven her mad), eyes bulging, lips still bruised, hair disheveled; all ingredients that managed to take Quinn's breath away.

Quinn slightly shook her head, successfully returning to the present.

"What is it, Rachel?" she asked, her voice flat.

The brunette opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Hmm?" Quinn urged.

"I just think that we ought to talk about what happened" offered the smaller girl, her voice not resembling at all the one from seconds ago.

"I really don't think we need to." Quinn felt a little calmer. "I mean, forget what I said." Quinn knew she would regret what followed. "It was, you know, the heat of the moment. I didn't mean it."

Now it was too late to take _that _back.

Rachel's facial features changed rapidly. She frowned and her eyes just looked sad. And then they changed again. And now they looked like they were on fire.

"You didn't mean it?" she asked incredulously. "You didn't _mean_ it?" she repeated. She felt mad.

"I-I mean…Rachel, it's just…" Quinn was at a loss for words. She knew she had meant the whole thing. She just didn't mean to actually _say _it.

Rachel ran her hand through her hair in a desperate attempt to calm down. Her patience was wearing thin. She was confused and she couldn't make sense of what she was actually feeling. One minute she's flattered, the other she's angry. One minute she wants to jump Quinn and kiss her, the other she's too scared to actually think about it. She absolutely hated feeling this confused. She had been feeling confused since the first time she woke up in the same bed as the blonde, but now her confusion had reached a whole new level. So, in a very Rachel Berry way, she decided she could no longer stand feeling this way, so she flat out asked Quinn, "What is it you truly want?"

Quinn just stared for the first few seconds, taken aback. And although her nerves had taken the best of her through this whole fiasco, she now felt calm. Her mind was clear. Her courage was back and the words 'whatever happens, happens' left her lips.

The brunette raised an eyebrow, curious to see what that little phrase was for.

"Okay", said Quinn. "Let's just sit down for a second." She motioned for the girl to sit on the couch next to her. Rachel complied and carefully took a seat next to the blonde facing her.

Quinn let out a breath. It was obvious that she was a bit nervous.

"Remember when it all started?" she began. The brunette nodded. How could she forget? "I was so confused" she continued, "and quite frankly I still am. I had never thought that it could be this way between us. And here we are now. Who knew, right?" she asked letting out a nervous laugh. Rachel reached out and cupped her hand with hers to calm the blonde. "I know I didn't. But that doesn't matter to me, because I like how we are. I like being able to call you and talk to you when you're in bed. I like being able to kiss you. I like being able to…_be _with you that way." Her cheeks were turning red again. "When we said we'd be like friends with benefits, it sounded good. It sounded so good, because all I could think about was 'I'll be able to do those things with her'. And it was true. It is true! But it doesn't sound that good anymore."

Rachel kept listening intently, not to miss a single word. "Why?" she asked.

"Because, Rach, I like you" answered Quinn honestly. She smiled shyly and went on. _There's no turning back now. _"I _like_ you. I _want _you. And, before you say anything, yes, I did like and want you before, but this is…different." Quinn looked at the girl in front of her and smiled. She knew losing what they had then was a possibility but she chose to be honest, whatever it was that ensued. "Do you know that I look forward to talking to you every day? That I can't wait to see you every time we make plans to meet? The truth is, I think about you. A lot. And I think that 'friends with benefits' aren't supposed to feel that way."

Rachel was trying to let everything sink in. "Is that why you were so rude to Ashley?"

Quinn straightened her back at the sound of the girl's name. She mentally prayed that Rachel was nothing more than just friends with that girl.

"Rachel, I get jealous. I don't mean to, but I do get jealous. When I said I didn't want you seeing other people, I meant it. At first, I hadn't even thought about it. But the thing is, one way or the other, it dawned on me that you may be _intimate _with other people, and it made me mad."

"Okay" was all the brunette could say.

Quinn was getting frustrated. There she was, pouring her heart out and now Rachel had found the time to not talk incessantly.

"Please, say something."

Rachel drew a much needed breath, gathered what she could of her thoughts and tried "Quinn, in all honesty, I'm shocked. Not in a bad way necessarily, but nevertheless, I'm shocked. I mean, you said it yourself, the dynamics of our relationship have changed dramatically. And it all happened so fast it gave me whiplash! I've never thought about being with you that way but I like how we are, as well." That formed a smile on the blonde's face. "And quite frankly, you've been occupying my thoughts regularly to say the least", Rachel admitted shyly.

"I have?" asked Quinn in a husky voice as she leaned in to capture Rachel's lips.

Rachel could only nod before the blonde locked lips with her, their kiss ever so gentle but firm.

"Umpf…stop" exclaimed the diva pulling back against her will, "you're distracting me!"

Quinn smirked and licked her lips slowly tasting the girl. "Sorry."

Rachel pursed her lips and tilted her head. "No, you're not, but it's alright."

Quinn laughed and motioned for the singer to continue.

"Okay, where was I? Ah, yes. What I'm trying to say is that I like you, too, Quinn. But, forgive me, but I still don't know exactly what it is you want. Is it exclusivity you wish for?"

Quinn thought for a second. "It is." She felt like saying more but she didn't.

Rachel took another breath. "Okay" she said to herself mostly. She didn't really know what to say. She wanted to say that from her part she'd been exclusive the whole time, that she was so flattered by Quinn asking for it, but part of her was afraid. Unsure.

"Listen", said Quinn, "I know I have no right to ask you this. I do. But the truth is I can be quite a selfish person. It's no excuse. I'm just stating the facts here. I know I'm jeopardizing what we have, but hell, we threw our friendship out of the window the moment we lay next to each other, didn't we? And I'm not saying I don't value our friendship, 'cause I do. It's just that…Rach, I feel so good when I'm around you. I kept denying it but, to say the truth, I'm so tired of tiptoeing around the fact that I want you. I really, truly _want _you. And I want you all to myself. Call me selfish, I don't care. I really don't. I am selfish. And jealous. And territorial. And these are not even my worst qualities, but that just doesn't change the fact that I don't want to share you."

"You're not" came Rachel answer, her voice soft.

The blonde stared at her for a few moments. A smile crept up her mouth. "I'm not?"

"No, you aren't." The singer couldn't place her feelings right now. She could feel her heart expand at Quinn's confession, but she still felt unsure. "Why would you assume you were?"

The blonde opened and closed her mouth a few times, unable to think of a good retort. "I-I…because, Rach, it's _you._ You're beautiful, and talented and so…sexy! Who wouldn't hit on you?"

Rachel smiled, feeling shy and rather surprised. She knew Quinn liked her or she wouldn't have had sex with her, but she never thought she'd hear the girl say it out loud. She'd heard it before but at quite more intimate moments. It wasn't the same.

She cleared her throat. "That doesn't mean that I would do anything with whoever hit on me, Quinn. I mean, you're beautiful. Gorgeous. Do you go out or, I don't know, have sex with whoever hits on you?"

"God, no!" Quinn answered quickly.

"So you haven't been with anyone except for me since after Thanksgiving?" Rachel wanted to know. If Quinn wanted exclusivity, it was only fair it went both ways.

"I haven't", replied the blonde truthfully.

"Not even with Jamie?" Rachel didn't want to push, but there was something wrong with that girl. She could sense it. Her psychic skills had kicked in the moment she first saw her.

"Jamie? No! God, no! We're friends, Rachel. She did tell me the other day that she had a crush on me when we first met, but that was it. And it's over now. We're _just _friends."

Rachel was convinced. She could feel Quinn was being honest and she felt relieved. Although, she still didn't like the girl. How dare she have a crush on Quinn?!

They looked at each other and smiled, their conversation bringing some kind of relief to both. Rachel looked down at Quinn's hands reaching for hers and sighed. "I get jealous, too, you know. I do. And this whole thing we have is causing me to go through a plethora of emotions, and if I'm being honest with myself, it scares me, Quinn."

Quinn squeezed the brunette's hands. "I'm scared, too, Rach." Rachel looked up, her eyes engaging the blonde's. "Let's be scared together?" proposed Quinn.

The brunette smiled sweetly. "Sounds good."

"How does a date with me sound?"

Rachel felt shocked once again. "What?"

Quinn laughed at how adorable Rachel looked, despite feeling herself grow rather nervous. She was asking a girl out. She was asking Rachel out.

"Go out with me."

"Go out with you?"

"That's what I said."

"On a date." Rachel wanted to clarify. This was not to be misinterpreted.

"On a date. With me."

Rachel was baffled. "This is all so overwhelming" she uttered.

"I sincerely hope you mean that in a good way."

Rachel smiled weakly, "I do."

"So…will you?" asked the blonde. "Go out with me? On a date?"

Rachel thought for a second or two. This was definitely not how she thought they would spend the weekend together. Putting all fears aside, she decided to give in the excitement and confidence Quinn's proposal made her feel.

"Okay. I will."

"_Okay, so I hooked you up with the restaurant. The reservation's under the name 'Isabelle Wright'."_

"Thanks, Kurt, I owe you one." Quinn was struggling to get in her heels while balancing her phone between her shoulder and ear.

"_You owe me a lot more, Quinn. Do you know how hard it is to book a table at 'Candle 79' on a Saturday? At the last minute?" _asked Kurt through the line.

"I can only imagine, Kurt. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! You're a life-saver!" Quinn was really grateful. When Rachel agreed to go on a date with her, she began to panic. She had no idea where to go or what to do to entertain the girl. She was in a totally strange city and the only places she knew, Rachel had shown them to her. She had to impress her. So she turned to Kurt.

"_Quinn?"_

"I'm here, Kurt", answered the blonde. She was now looking at herself in the full-sized mirror in the boy's room. She couldn't use Rachel's room since the girl was there now, getting ready herself.

"_Are you really going on a date with Rachel?" _he asked.

Quinn let out a small laugh. "I am."

"_I can't say I'm surprised – I had totally seen it coming", _Quinn rolled her eyes, "_nevertheless, my place as her best friend requires me to do something that you should definitely keep in mind."_

The blonde knew exactly where this was going. She let him say what he wanted to anyway. She liked knowing Rachel had such a protective friend.

"_If you do anything to hurt her, Quinn, I will renounce my beliefs as a pacifist and kick your ass. I swear! I'm warning you, Fabray."_

Quinn stifled a laugh. "You know, Kurt. You threatening me would be a lot more intimidating if I wasn't looking at a picture of you in a Beyonce outfit right now." Quinn put the framed picture back, lightly laughing at Kurt's gasp over the phone.

"_Quiiiinnn…" _Kurt warned.

"Okay, okay, alright. Message received. You'll kick my ass. Although, I have no intention of hurting her, you know.I like her."

Kurt sighed. "_I know, honey. Have fun tonight, okay?"_

"We will. Thanks again, Kurt. You're the best."

"_I know. Bye, Quinn."_

The blonde bid the boy goodbye and hang up the phone, before she checked herself in the mirror for the millionth time.

Meanwhile, Rachel was getting more nervous with every minute that passed. The blonde had insisted to take care of everything, which made Rachel swoon. All she had to do was look pretty and go on a date with a girl she had been tormented by in high school, became friends later on and was having sex with for the past few weeks. The brunette took another deep breath, unable to feel the oxygen reach her lungs. She made for the window in her bedroom to crack it open and let the cold New York City air fill her lungs but a knock on the front door brought her to a halt. She wondered who it might be.

Walking towards the door she glanced at Kurt's bedroom door where she knew Quinn was, but it was closed. Rachel slid the door open to find Quinn with a tight dark blue dress reaching mid-thigh, hugging her body perfectly, waiting on the other side of the door with a fresh bouquet of lilies in her hand.

"These are for you", the blonde said smiling. She was feeling quite silly doing this.

"Quinn, you didn't have to" offered the brunette, taking the bouquet of flowers from the taller girl. "These are so pretty. Let me put them in water."

Rachel walked to the kitchen to find a vase and Quinn followed. "You really shouldn't have", said Rachel again. "I must say, I didn't peg you as a romantic, Quinn."

Quinn's cheeks turned pink. "Nothing wrong with bringing a girl some flowers. Besides, we're on a date. I want to treat you. My mama raised me right, Rachel Berry." Quinn lay back on the kitchen counter watching Rachel arrange the flowers in the vase. After placing them in the center of the table, the brunette turned to look at Quinn. "Did your mama raise you to bring flowers to your female dates, Ms. Fabray?"

"Touché" said the blonde smiling.

"You ready?" asked Rachel.

"After you", offered Quinn, admiring the brunette's outfit.

After the hostess at 'Candle 79" showed them to their table, a waiter handed both girls menus.

"How did you manage to get a table here?" Rachel whispered harshly.

Quinn just looked through the menu nonchalantly. "I have my connections" she answered smugly.

Rachel pursed her lips trying not to smile. "Kurt?"

The blonde lowered the menu to look at her date. "Yeah", she admitted defeated. "Thank God for _his _connections."

"This place is amazing, Quinn. And I know for a fact there's a waiting list. You shouldn't have gone through all this trouble."

"Nonsense. We're on a date." Quinn smiled widely, mirroring the brunette's.

Rachel still couldn't believe this was actually happening. Everything was so surreal. She wondered if Quinn felt the same.

* * *

Entering a cocktail bar in the vicinity of the restaurant, both girls attracted a few glances from the rest of the customers. They moved through the people and found a spot at the end of the bar.

"Do you like it here?" asked Quinn louder than usual in an attempt to cover the music playing.

"I do. I've wanted to come here for quite a long time actually", answered Rachel, her voice matching Quinn's. The blonde smiled, feeling glad that the date was going well. They had had a fantastic meal at the restaurant, sharing light and fun conversation, and now they were getting drinks (thank God for fake IDs) not feeling at all as nervous as they did in the beginning.

"You look amazing, Quinn" offered Rachel leaning in close to the blonde's ear in order for her to hear her clearly.

Quinn looked at her, engaging chocolate orbs. "Thank you. You, Rach, look phenomenal", she said, her eyes never faltering.

They kept staring at each other, not saying a word, just looking at each other as if they were trying to communicate through their eyes.

"Here are your drinks, girls. Enjoy!" The barman snapped them out of their reverie. Quinn thanked him and took a sip from her Gin&Tonic. Rachel brought her lips to the wine glass, her eyes never leaving Quinn. This was turning out to be a lot more fun than she expected.

* * *

"So, did you have fun?" asked Quinn taking a step closer to the brunette.

"I did", answered Rachel softly biting her lip. "Did you?"

Quinn nodded slowly. "I did. Very much so", she admitted reducing the distance between their bodies a little more, Rachel's back against the wall outside her and Kurt's loft.

"We should do this again then", suggested the smaller girl, gently toying with the buttons of Quinn's coat.

The blonde placed a hand on Rachel's side, leaning in. "We definitely should." Her voice was barely over a whisper. She cupped the girl's cheek and just before their lips could touch, Rachel's forefinger stopped her mouth from moving any further.

"Thank you so much for this great night, Quinn. I'll see you in the morning." And with that she fished out her keys, opened the door and walked in the loft, leaving a very confused Quinn behind.

"Rach-" she started, "oh hey, Kurt." The boy had just emerged from the bathroom.

"Hey guys!" he drawled. "How did the date go?"

"I had a great time!" Rachel exclaimed, her smile as wide as ever.

Kurt turned to Quinn, expecting an answer from her as well.

"Oh yeah, it was great. It was really amazing", she offered truthfully, but still very much confused by Rachel's unwillingness to kiss her.

Kurt applied some kind of lotion on his face, knitting his eyebrows together. "So why do you look like that?" he asked the taller girl.

"I-I.."

"Quinn is puzzled because she tried to kiss me just before we came in here and I refused."

The blonde looked back and forth between the two roommates. Kurt seemed not surprised.

"Well-" Quinn started but was cut off.

"She doesn't seem to know that I don't kiss on the first date" the diva explained.

Quinn let out a laugh. She turned to Kurt who was standing by the bathroom door rubbing circles on his cheeks with a white cream, watching the girls' interaction amused. The blonde took a step toward Rachel. "You're kidding."

Rachel took a sip from a water bottle she had just taken out of the fridge. "I assure you I'm not. Sharing something as intimate as a kiss so soon leaves very little to the imagination, which is rather needed for the second, third or fourth date and so on."

"I don't need to imagine anyth-"

"Goodnight, Quinn. Goodnight, Kurt." And with that she closed the door to her bedroom behind her.

Quinn was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe Rachel. They had kissed and they had sex many times before. Did they have to start from the beginning just because they went on a date?

"I'm guessing you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight. No worries. It's pretty comfortable", said Kurt. He went in his bedroom and gave her a pillow and some sheets. "Goodnight, Quinn" he bid cheerfully, patting her shoulder.

Quinn placed the sheets and pillow on an armchair and slumped on the couch. This was not how she thought the night would end. Disappointed, she got out of her dress and into an oversized Yale T-shirt. She lay down on the couch and covered herself with the sheet Kurt had given her. She looked at Rachel's bedroom door. She could be in there right now kissing the hell out of the girl. She wanted to so much. She wanted to undress her, look at her amazing body, touch her warm, tan skin…

"_Ugh!" _the blonde let out frustrated. The diva was killing her.

Just as was about to get up and grab a bottle of water, Rachel's bedroom door opened slowly, the singer's head popping out of the opening.

"Hey", greeted Rachel.

"Hey."

The brunette walked slowly and quietly towards the couch. Quinn took in the girl's attire; a tight fitting white tank top and a pair of black boy shorts. The blonde let out a sigh and averted her eyes. "Ugh, you're killing me, Rach."

"Is that true?" asked the small brunette seductively as she straddled Quinn's thighs. Quinn's blood left her head and travelled south.

"If this is your idea of teasing, I must tell you it is absolutely cruel" the blonde let her know.

Rachel laughed lightly and leaned down to capture Quinn's lips. The blonde moaned in the taste of the girl's tongue as soon as it entered her mouth, earning another, deeper moan from Rachel. Her hands moved to the brunette's buttocks, grabbing them with force. Rachel let out another moan inside the blonde's mouth, making the latter squirm underneath the singer's slender body. Quinn kept kissing her feverishly, licking the brunette's lips, biting. She captured Rachel's bottom lip between her teeth, and when their eyes locked, she whispered "I want you so much". Rachel wasted no second and attacked the blonde's mouth, pinning her down. She started laying open-mouthed kisses along Quinn's jawline and neck, until she reached what she had grown to learn that was Quinn's sensitive spot. Her teeth sank in the blonde's pulse point, making her automatically arch her back. Rachel licked the reddened area to alleviate the pain, causing a wave of arousal to crush inside Quinn's core and a deep, throaty moan to leave her lips.

"RACHEEELLL! YOU'D BETTER NOT BE HAVING SEX IN THERE! I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SIT ON MY COUCH AGAIN, PLEASE!" Kurt's voice echoed putting a stop to the girls.

Rachel snickered, despite her frustration. "_OUR _COUCH!" she yelled.

Quinn rolled her eyes and lightly pinched Rachel's buttock to get her attention back. Rachel leaned in and kissed her firmly. "Come on", she ordered and grabbed Quinn's hand.

"I guess we shouldn't tell him about the kitchen table, should we?" whispered Quinn as she was being dragged to the bedroom by a very eager Rachel.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


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